Israel Youth Handball Team Falls 30-22 to Portugal at European Championship
The Israeli youth handball team was defeated 30-22 by Portugal in the European Youth Championship, concluding the preliminary group stage with just one point from a draw against the Czech Republic. As a result, Israel will continue in the lower bracket, aiming to qualify for the 9th-16th place ranking matches. The top 14 teams from these matches will advance to the World Championship, and it is crucial for Israel to avoid finishing among the bottom four to prevent relegation.
In the first half, Israel showed promise, overcoming an early 2-0 deficit to tie the game at 6-6 by the 11th minute, with Jonathan Pelech scoring three goals. The team briefly took the lead at 8-9, with goalkeeper Ruben Ouanono scoring a goal and making several key saves. Giv'on Dagani and Nevo Masika extended the lead to 10-12 and 11-13 respectively, but Portugal equalized by halftime at 15-15.
The second half exposed the gap between the teams, with Portugal pulling ahead decisively. Pelech narrowed the score to 16-17 but later tired, missed penalty shots, and Israel's defense struggled to contain Portugal's offense. Portugal is expected to finish among the top two in the group. Israel will learn its final placement (3rd or 4th) and upcoming opponents in the intermediate group after the Croatia-Czech Republic match later that evening.
Top scorers for Israel were Jonathan Pelech with 8 goals (24 shots), Nevo Masika with 4, Tomer Michils and Giv'on Dagani with 3 each, Itay Gorvitz with 2, and Ruben Ouanono and Rom Tobis with 1 each.
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