Voetbal International: “Belgium blames itself against Israel”
“Belgium no longer had a claim to the final eight on the last matchday of the group stage. In the darkest scenario, The Red Devils could even be relegated immediately, but it would not come to that. Just like in the Stade de France, Israel sold the skin dearly. Leandro Trossard was dangerous a number of times in the opening phase, but his match would not last long.”
The Arsenal striker had to leave the field injured in the closing stages of the first half. This gave Johan Bakayoko the opportunity to show himself for almost an hour. The PSV player, who is not in great form, was hardly successful in that. In Budapest, Belgium did not manage to break the ban. In fact, Israel emerged victorious in the final phase. That was thanks to a huge mistake by debutant Matte Smets, who simply pushed the ball into the feet of Yarden Shua. Orel Mangala was initially able to make the save, but Shua still managed to score. This means that Israel ends up equal on points with Belgium, which has a better mutual result. The team of national coach Domenico Tedesco must avoid a descent to Division B in the play-offs for promotion/relegation.”
La Gazzetta dello Sport: “Not a great match”
“While Italy and France played for the top position, Israel and Belgium did not put on a great match in Budapest. The match therefore lent itself to a lot of experimentation by the national coaches. The visitors had the upper hand in the first half. The Belgians were a little more enterprising, but never really dangerous. At the end of the half, the only Israeli chance came from David, whose shot was promptly blocked by Casteels. Abu Fani on one side and Openda on the other tried to make their mark in the early stages of the second half, before the pace dropped inexorably. The match seemed destined for a 0-0 draw, but in the 86th minute a sensational mistake by the Belgians cleared the way for Shua’s winning goal. It ended 1-0 for Israel.”
Corriere dello Sport: “Belgium is fooling itself”
“Talk about a surprising result on neutral ground in Budapest. A right-footed shot from Yarden Shua sank Tedesco’s team. Belgium narrowly avoids relegation to the B division. Without Lukaku they will lose to Israel and survive on goal difference.”
“There was not only Italy-France. In the other match of the group, Belgium finished as poorly as it could end: defeated 1-0 on the neutral field of the Bozsik Aréna by Israel. Tedesco’s national team, without Lukaku who returned to Naples early and also lost Trossard to injury shortly after the half-hour of play, was punished late by a goal from Yarden Shua. A goal that immediately decided the match for Israel, but which only left the Belgians third thanks to goal difference. Now Tedesco’s team, together with the other numbers three, will have to fight for survival during the jump-offs.”
© Corriere dello Sport
Tuttosport: “Belgium also KO by Israel”
“Domenico Tedesco’s Red Devils also lose against Ben Shimon’s selection, but avoid finishing in last place. The Belgians went KO 1-0 in the final match of the Nations League group stage, thanks to Shua’s goal in the 86th minute. A result that thus secured the final ranking of Group 2 of the A Division, with Spalletti’s Italy and Deschamps’ France entering the quarter-finals. Tedesco’s Red Devils finish in third place with 4 points, level with Ben Shimon’s team, but with a better goal difference.”
The Guardian: “Israel sinks Belgium with late goal”
“Israeli debutant Yarden Shua scored the winning goal in the 86th minute, shocking Belgium 1-0 in Budapest. However, it was not enough to avoid relegation from the top tier of the Nations League. Shua, who came on in the second half, took advantage of a defensive error by Matte Smets to give Israel its first win in Group A2. As a result, the country actually reached the same level as the Red Devils with four points, but the goal difference spoke in favor of the Belgians.”
The Daily Mail: “New worries for Arsenal”
“Arsenal have suffered a new injury problem after Leandro Trossard was forced to substitute during Belgium’s defeat to Israel in the Nations League. Mikel Arteta is already struggling with injuries after Bukayo Saka and Declan Rice withdrew from the England squad. The Gunners’ injury concerns worsened when Torssard was substituted in the 37th minute. Trossard seems to be on the injured list, which also includes Riccardo Calafiori. He has not featured since Arsenal’s 1-0 win over Shakhtar Donetsk in October.”
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L’Equipe: “Belgians didn’t seem really motivated”
“Deservedly beaten by the Israelis, who recorded their first win since the start of the Nations League campaign, Domenico Tedesco’s players still finished third in Group 2. They now have to compete in a play-off to get into the A Division to be allowed to stay.”
“While the Belgians hoped to be more attractive than in their previous performances, their match against Israel went in the opposite direction. In the fog of the Bozsik Arena in Budapest, Israel won by the smallest margin (1-0) after a goal by Yarden Shuan, who took advantage of a big mistake by the young Matte Smets. A deserved goal because the Israeli players created the best chances of the match. They hit the target twice in the first half. First the post with a powerful cross shot by Elazar Dasa, then the crossbar via Dean David, who was offside.
“On the other side, the Belgians didn’t seem very motivated to win. To make matters worse, Leandro Trossard was forced to substitute due to an injury. The Arsenal striker, captain of the Red Devils in the absence of Kevin De Bruyne and Romelu Lukaku, provided the biggest threat to the Belgian side. In the second half, Loïs Openda and Dodi Lukebakio also had the chance to open the scoring, but they could not get past the Israeli goalkeeper. The latter was already the author of a great performance against France on Thursday. Domenico Tedesco missed five players compared to the clash with Italy (0-1) and brought in many young players, such as 21-year-old Arne Engels.”
“Despite a very disappointing balance (three defeats in five games), the Belgians did the most essential: retain third place in group 2 by keeping rival Israel behind them. The Belgians will now play a play-off against a team in second place in their League B group, with the aim of staying in League A.”
