Goetz's heroics sees Luxembourg U19 fend of Israel U19 from heavier defeat

Israel U19 1-0 Luxembourg U19

Gibraltar hosted the UEFA Women’s U19 Championship qualifier group, in which Gibraltar's women’s U19 team competed against Kosovo, Israel, and Luxembourg.

Tuesday morning marked the commencement of the mini-tournament group matches. With the weather finally settling after close to five days of constant rain, the fixture schedule was welcomed with some spring sunshine over the Victoria Stadium as Luxembourg and Israel prepared to kick off six days of football.

The first day back to work for most locals after an extended weekend break meant that the 11 a.m. kickoff saw just a handful of people in the stands, mainly officials and players. The match was accompanied by a minor security presence from the police, as two of the nations playing in the competition presented security issues due to ongoing political tensions surrounding their nations. Israel, at present, is at the center of global focus over the war in Gaza, while Kosovo arrived under the dark clouds of tensions with its neighbors, Serbia, which had risen just before the tournament. However, this presence was not overly visible, with the main focus on the normal security measures implemented by the Gibraltar FA for all international matches.

The first match featured a rare sight in Gibraltar football: a female referee officiating, supported by a female linesperson, as part of UEFA’s allocated refereeing team.

Israel, wearing light blue, played against Luxembourg, who were debutants in the tournament, wearing their red kits. This marked the first time that Gibraltar wasn't the newcomer of the group, with Luxembourg having only recently introduced its women’s U19 team into competitive football. This brought an unknown element into the tournament and made Kosovo the favorites from the start.

Israel had the first attempt at goal within the first two minutes of play, which was easily collected by the goalkeeper. Shortly after, a clash left a Luxembourg player winded, resulting in the first injury of the match.

Israel settled down quickly, moving the ball around with greater ease, while a nervy Luxembourg side, making their international debut, struggled to find their footing as Israel pressed on them in the early minutes.

Israel's intense high pressure led to them stealing the ball at the edge of the box, resulting in a curled shot towards the top corner, which forced the first save from Goetz, the Gibraltar goalkeeper. Biru and Workou were proving to be the driving force in Israel’s front lines from early on. Biru stamped her mark within the first nine minutes by confidently slotting past the keeper and defenders for a goal.

Luxembourg had yet to venture past the halfway line and struggled to find any cohesiveness going forward. It wasn't until the eleventh minute that they were able to get close to their opponents' penalty area, though with little threat.

Mosicovici and Hazan were among the players driving Israel through the midfield, with Hazan, a defender, contributing from the wings. Their early work rate created spaces for Israel’s frontline as Luxembourg found themselves pinned back.

Despite pressure, Luxembourg maintained a disciplined formation, playing a 4-4-2, effectively closing gaps. However, the deep defensive line left space for Israel to move forward quickly on the attack when breaking Luxembourg’s possession.

Biru had a chance disallowed for offside on the 19th minute, with Workou putting a shot across goal just a minute later as Luxembourg's defense was exposed while trying to push forward.

The first yellow card was shown in the 21st minute for a challenge by Moscovici. In the 23rd minute, Luxembourg breathed a sigh of relief as a shot from distance smashed into the crossbar with the keeper beaten.

Luxembourg seemed to momentarily lose their shape on the pitch as Israel dominated the first half-hour. It wasn't until they regrouped that they were able to close the gaps, though they found themselves defending deep, leaving a massive gap between their midfield and sole attacker.

Israel commanded the pace of the match but struggled to create clear chances to increase their lead. Soares created the first real threat for Luxembourg upon Israel in the half-hour mark with a great run down the wing, but her pass into the middle was easily intercepted.

Israel responded with their own threat, but Luxembourg's defense held firm, despite Israel's dominance in the first half, only conceding the solitary goal.

Both sides made changes at halftime, with Israel continuing their momentum forward into the second half. Within the first ten minutes, Biru, Zechariah, and Moscovici had chances as Luxembourg came under intense pressure.

Biru forced a save from Goetz once again on the 59th minute as Israel searched for their second goal. Hazan, who had been strong on the left, was substituted after being moved to the right side as Israel continued their offensive push.

Israel continued to dominate play but struggled to break down Luxembourg's defense since scoring early in the match. The shots continued to come in on Luxembourg’s goal, with multiple attempts being blocked or saved by Goetz.

Despite Israel's persistent attacks, they couldn't find the net again, with Luxembourg holding on despite the pressure. The match ended with Israel winning by a solitary goal.

Luxembourg demonstrated resilience in their first international competitive outing in the U19s, learning a valuable lesson against a confident Israeli side. Although defeated, they showed a level of resilience that other teams in the group would need to overcome in their next matches, including Gibraltar U19s.