Israel U-21 Make Six Substitutions and Face Penalty

In depth

Israel's Under-21 team, coached by Ofir Haim, lost 3-2 to Ukraine in the opening round of the second stage of European Championship qualifiers. Noam Cohen and Ilai Ben Simon scored for Israel, and the team led 1-2 until the 86th minute.

Two Ukrainian goals within the closing minutes turned the result around. During the match, in the 82nd minute, the coach made a double substitution, and the team made six substitutions instead of the five permitted under the regulations.

The Israel Football Association confirmed the error, and as a result the team is expected to suffer a technical defeat in the match. Association officials said that there were enough staff on the bench who should have paid attention to the substitution count.