Israel secured a surprising 1-0 victory over Belgium in their last Nations League match, thanks to Yarden Shua’s late goal. This marked Israel’s first win of the season in the competition.
Belgium, missing several key players for the game in Hungary, contributed to their own defeat by conceding the decisive goal with just four minutes remaining.
The first half was tense, with Eli Dasa breaking through Belgium’s defence after 24 minutes. His low shot beat Koen Casteels but struck the post. Just before halftime, Casteels made a crucial save from Dor Peretz’s low attempt. Domenico Tedesco’s halftime talk seemed to energise Belgium as they increased their pressure. Lois Openda hit the side netting, and Johan Bakayoko forced a fingertip save from Daniel Peretz after an hour.
Despite their efforts, Belgium was caught off guard while trying to play out from the back. Dor Peretz intercepted Matte Smets’ errant backpass and was fouled in the box. However, Shua calmly found the bottom corner to secure Israel’s win. Israel finished at the bottom of Group A2 and will be relegated to League B. Belgium remains above them due to a better head-to-head goal difference but faces a relegation play-off.
This Nations League campaign has been disappointing for Belgium, who managed only one victory and ended without a win in their last four matches (D1 L3). In Budapest, they narrowly led in shots with 12 attempts compared to Israel’s 10. However, without stars like Romelu Lukaku and Kevin De Bruyne, they lacked finishing power.
Belgium’s defensive issues are also concerning for Tedesco. They failed to secure any wins in games where they fell behind during the group stage, earning just one point from losing positions.
