England into Euro U21 final after breezing past Israel
Considering the high stakes, it seemed as though patience would be required for England to get their breakthrough opportunity – especially against a side as stubborn and well-organised as Guy Luzon’s Skyblue and Whites outfit.
But it was chaos that almost gifted it to them, as Tomer Tzarfati played a poor pass in his first appearance of the tournament, but was bailed out when Gil Cohen blocked Emile Smith-Rowe’s shot.
He then stopped another Smith Rowe effort, before Karem Jaber brought down Anthony Gordon. However, there was a let-off for Israel, as Morgan Gibbs-White sent the ensuing spot kick harmlessly wide.
Undeterred by that scare, Israel continued with their approach and made it difficult for England to find any sort of meaningful space in the final third, while Oscar Gloukh – confident after a strong performance against Georgia – looked to create problems going the other way.
Just when it appeared as though they would head into the break unscathed, Cole Palmer delivered an exquisite ball into the box that Gibbs-White rose above Jaber to head home, atoning for his earlier miss and adding to the three assists he had already provided in the tournament.
After the end of the first half was played out at a snail’s pace, England showed their intent again following the restart, with Gordon seeing an attempt deflected wide.
It didn’t take Luzon long to respond by bringing on forwards Anan Khalaili and Idan Gurno. However, the pair of 18-year-olds could only watch from afar as England continued to dominate, and Palmer eventually latched onto Smith Rowe’s ball across goal to double the Young Lions’ lead with 64 minutes on the clock.
Cameron Archer emphatically finished off the Young Lions’ third following lovely link-up play with Palmer late on, as England took their winning record without conceding into its fifth match this tournament, maintaining hopes of winning the U21 Euros for the first time since 1984.
While Israel fell at the same stage as their U20s did in the World Cup last month, they have their best-ever finish in this tournament and a place in the 2024 Olympic Games confirmed.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Cole Palmer (England)