Israel's Youth Handball Team Qualifies for U19 World Championship with Win Over Poland

Israel's under-19 national handball team secured a historic qualification for the U19 World Championship next summer by narrowly defeating Poland 35-34 on August 6. The match took place in Belgrade, where Israel's youth team joined the under-21 squad, which had already qualified earlier for their respective world championship.

Jonathan Pelech was the standout player, scoring 18 goals and leading the team to victory. Goalkeeper Itamar Mesharki also played a crucial role, making eight key saves, including critical stops in the final minutes. The game was highly competitive, with Israel initially leading 8-4 before Poland responded with a 5-0 run to take the lead. The teams exchanged leads throughout the match, with Pelech equalizing multiple times, including a remarkable half-court goal to tie the score 20-20 at halftime.

In the second half, Poland extended their lead to 26-22, but Israel fought back with strong performances from Pelech, Mesharki, and Nebo Masika, who scored the winning goal. The final minutes saw a tense back-and-forth, ending with Masika's decisive goal and Poland missing their chance to equalize. Israel will next face Austria in the 9th to 12th place classification matches.

Other scorers for Israel included Geva Dagani and Nebo Masika with four goals each, Tomer Michalis and Dor Zayden with three each, Itai Gurevich with two, and Rom Tobis with one. This achievement marks a significant milestone for Israeli handball on the international stage.