Israel’s Gabi Kanichowsky found the top left corner of the goal, lifting Israel over Belarus in extra time on Tuesday and helping the Blue and Whites stay in contention for next year’s UEFA European Football Championship.
Kanichowsky’s goal broke a 0-0 tie in the 93rd minute of a match, which featured a near-perfect performance from Blue and White goalie Omri Glazer.
The 1-0 victory at Tel Aviv’s Bloomfield Stadium keeps Israel in third place, right behind Romania in Group I.
Switzerland stayed top of the group with 14 points after making hard work of a 3-0 victory over last-place Andorra.
Romania stayed two points behind in second place after they beat Kosovo 2-0 in Bucharest in a game delayed after home fans unfurled an anti-Kosovo banner in the first half.
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Israel’s victory on Tuesday night gave it 11 points in the qualifiers, just one point behind Romania, with the other three teams in their group well behind them.
The top two teams from the group of six will qualify for the 2024 Euros in Germany.
The qualifiers will resume on October 12, and Israel will have a critical match against Switzerland.
While Israel’s spot at the 2024 Euros has yet to be guaranteed, it will be playing at the 2024 Olympics in Paris for just the third time in the country’s history after the Under-21 team beat England in a tournament this summer.
The Associated Press and AFP contributed to this report.
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