Israel Under-21 Handball Team Falls 33-31 to Faroe Islands, Moves to Placement Matches
The Israeli Under-21 handball team lost 33-31 to the Faroe Islands on July 16, 2026, dropping to the 13th-16th place classification matches at the World Championship qualifiers. Israel will face Iceland next in the placement round. Despite a strong start led by Tal Ekstein's three early goals, Israel struggled to maintain momentum as the Faroese quickly equalized and eventually took the lead.
Israel regained a promising advantage of 15-17 by halftime, with key contributions from Asaf Sharon and goalkeeper Eitan Elbaz. However, the second half saw a decline in Israeli performance, allowing the Faroe Islands to equalize and then pull ahead. Despite efforts from Ekstein and Sharon, Israel fell behind 31-26 by the 55th minute. Although goalkeeper Elbaz saved a penalty and Sharon narrowed the gap to 31-29, Israel could not recover.
Tal Ekstein was the top scorer with 10 goals, followed by Asaf Sharon with 7. Goalkeepers Eitan Elbaz and Yehonatan Benshtrit made 8 and 7 saves respectively. Israel remains one win away from qualifying for the World Championship, needing to win one of their next two matches to advance.
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