Israel v Belgium background
Monday, March 30, 2015
Article summary
Israel and Belgium are meeting in a competitive game for the first time since 1965, with the home side eager to show how much they have come on in UEFA EURO 2016 Group B.
Article top media content
Article body
In UEFA EURO 2016 Group B, Israel are on the lookout for a first competitive success against Belgium in Jerusalem as they bid to bounce back from Saturday's 3-0 defeat by Wales.
• This fixture was originally scheduled for the opening day of Group B on 9 September 2014. It was postponed following an agreement between the two concerned national associations.
Previous meetings
• Israel's record in five matches against Belgium is W1 D0 L4.
• Israel lost the nations' only previous competitive encounters – a pair of 1966 FIFA World Cup qualifiers – without scoring, with their lone victory against Belgium a 1-0 home win in a 1978 friendly.
• Those competitive meetings came in 1966 World Cup qualifying. Armand Jurion's penalty (24) gave Constant Vanden Stock's Belgium a 1-0 home win against Milovan Ćirić's Israel in Brussels on 9 May 1965. They beat their hosts again in Tel Aviv on 10 November that year, Paul Van Himst registering a hat-trick (24 33 69) and Johnny Thio (31) and Wilfried Puis (48) contributing a goal each in a 5-0 triumph.
Form guide
• Israel won their first three UEFA EURO 2016 qualifiers and were one of only four countries to have a 100% record at the end of 2014. They suffered a setback in Haifa on Saturday, though, as Wales triumphed 3-0 to leapfrog them at the section summit.
• Belgium, who are unbeaten in six away qualifiers (W5 D1), won 5-0 at home to Cyprus on Saturday.
Trivia and links
• Israel defender Tal Ben Haim I turns 33 on the day of the Belgium game.
• Israel defender Rami Gershon (KAA Gent) and midfielder Lior Refaelov (Club Brugge KV) play their club football in Belgium. Belgium's Thomas Meunier and Laurens De Bock are among Refaelov's team-mates in Bruges.
• Israel's record in seven UEFA age-group competiton meetings with Belgium is W4 D0 L3.
• In 12 meetings between the nations' clubs in UEFA competitions, the Israeli sides' record is W3 D2 L7.