Israeli U21 soccer team advances to Euro quarterfinal following victory over the Czech Republic

The Israeli Under-21 soccer team advanced on Wednesday to the quarterfinals in the European Championship after a victory over the Czech Republic.

Israel’s 1-0 victory was secured by Israeli player, Omri Gandelman, at the 82-minute mark of the game.

Prior to the match, Israel’s prospects looked bleak, as the Jewish state ranked at the bottom of the lineup.

The Israeli win against the Czech Republic, along with England's 2-0 victory over Germany, secured the Jewish state’s advancement to the quarterfinals of the competition, which features male players under the age of 21.

The Israeli team now has its sights set on a potential semifinal, where they will face the country of Georgia, the tournament host, on Saturday.

In early June, Israel’s U20 soccer team made history by winning the bronze medal in the World Cup after a victory over South Korea. Before that win, Israel made sports headlines after defeating the soccer world power Brazil in a 3-2 victory.

While soccer is a very popular sport in Israel, Israel has had comparatively limited international success until recently.

The Israeli coach Ofir Haim stressed the unity among the team's Jewish and Arab players, saying that religion is not a source of division for the Israeli team.

“You know, it isn’t an issue at all here. We’re one big family and we don’t have any problem with religion. Not at all. We have players here who put on tefillin, and Anan, Hamza and Ahmed perform the Muslim prayers,” Haim said.