Srur strike revives Israel hopes

Substitute Idan Srur struck three minutes from time as Israel revived their UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualifying campaign with a 2-1 victory against Group 9 pacesetters Northern Ireland.

Frantic finish
The home side had appeared well-set in Tel-Aviv when Ben Sahar gave them the lead midway through the second half, collecting Bebars Natcho's through-ball and firing past Jonathan Tuffey, but were forced to sweat in the end. Israel should have been further ahead as Etey Shechter struck the post and was denied from the penalty spot in the first half, and looked like lamenting their profligacy when Thomas Stewart rifled in a fierce volley nine minutes from time. Coach Guy Levy responded by bringing on Srur and the midfielder duly made his mark, beating Tuffey with a curling free-kick. The result lifted Israel to ten points after five outings, level with Germany (four games) and two points behind Northern Ireland (seven).