Euro 2016 Qualifying Results: Final Scores, Standings, Top Players After Tuesday
Just one more Euro 2016 qualifier was on the schedule for Tuesday, as Belgium held on to beat Israel 1-0 in Jerusalem to take the lead in Group B. Originally scheduled to be played on Matchday 1, the clash was pushed back into the slot for international friendlies.
After a mediocre start to the qualifying campaign, the Red Devils seemed to find their form when they beat Cyprus 5-0 last time out. But Israel gave them a strong challenge on Tuesday, aided by Vincent Kompany's red card after 64 minutes. The skipper will be suspended for Belgium's next match, against co-leaders Wales.
Israel deserve credit for bouncing back from their embarrassing 3-0 defeat against the Welsh and playing the favoured Belgians so close, but ultimately, Marouane Fellaini's first-half goal and a fantastic performance from Thibaut Courtois were too much to overcome.
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Here are the full Euro 2016 qualification standings after Tuesday's result:
| Position | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
| 1 | Czech Republic | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 11 | 6 | +5 | 13 |
| 2 | Iceland | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 12 | 2 | +10 | 12 |
| 3 | Netherlands | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 11 | 6 | +5 | 7 |
| 4 | Turkey | 5 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 6 | 8 | −2 | 5 |
| 5 | Latvia | 5 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 11 | −9 | 3 |
| 6 | Kazakhstan | 5 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 13 | −9 | 1 |
| 1 | Belgium | 5 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 13 | 1 | +12 | 11 |
| 2 | Wales | 5 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 7 | 2 | +5 | 11 |
| 3 | Israel | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 9 | 6 | +3 | 9 |
| 4 | Cyprus | 5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 9 | 10 | −1 | 6 |
| 5 | Bosnia-Herzegovina | 5 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 6 | −1 | 5 |
| 6 | Andorra | 5 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 2 | 20 | −18 | 0 |
| 1 | Slovakia | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 2 | +9 | 15 |
| 2 | Spain | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 14 | 3 | +11 | 12 |
| 3 | Ukraine | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 2 | +4 | 9 |
| 4 | Belarus | 5 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 10 | −6 | 4 |
| 5 | Macedonia | 5 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 5 | 12 | −7 | 3 |
| 6 | Luxembourg | 5 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 14 | −11 | 1 |
| 1 | Poland | 5 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 16 | 3 | +13 | 11 |
| 2 | Germany | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 9 | 4 | +5 | 10 |
| 3 | Scotland | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 11 | 5 | +6 | 10 |
| 4 | Republic of Ireland | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 11 | 4 | +7 | 8 |
| 5 | Georgia | 5 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 9 | −5 | 3 |
| 6 | Gibraltar | 5 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 27 | −26 | 0 |
| 1 | England | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 1 | +14 | 15 |
| 2 | Slovenia | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 10 | 4 | +6 | 9 |
| 3 | Switzerland | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 11 | 3 | +8 | 9 |
| 4 | Lithuania | 5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 10 | −7 | 6 |
| 5 | Estonia | 5 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 5 | −4 | 4 |
| 6 | San Marino | 5 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 17 | −17 | 1 |
| 1 | Romania | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 1 | +6 | 13 |
| 2 | Northern Ireland | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 4 | +4 | 12 |
| 3 | Hungary | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 3 | +1 | 8 |
| 4 | Finland | 5 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 7 | −2 | 4 |
| 5 | Faroe Islands | 5 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 7 | −5 | 3 |
| 6 | Greece | 5 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 5 | −4 | 2 |
| 1 | Austria | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 10 | 2 | +8 | 13 |
| 2 | Sweden | 5 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 3 | +4 | 9 |
| 3 | Russia | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 6 | 3 | +3 | 5 |
| 4 | Montenegro | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 2 | +1 | 5 |
| 5 | Liechtenstein | 5 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 11 | −10 | 4 |
| 6 | Moldova | 5 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 8 | −6 | 1 |
| 1 | Croatia | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 15 | 2 | +13 | 13 |
| 2 | Italy | 5 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 8 | 4 | +4 | 11 |
| 3 | Norway | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 7 | 8 | −1 | 9 |
| 4 | Bulgaria | 5 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 6 | 7 | −1 | 5 |
| 5 | Azerbaijan | 5 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 11 | −7 | 3 |
| 6 | Malta | 5 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 9 | −8 | 1 |
| 1 | Portugal | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 2 | +2 | 9 |
| 1 | Denmark | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 4 | +2 | 7 |
| 2 | Albania | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 5 | −1 | 7 |
| 4 | Serbia | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 1 |
| 5 | Armenia | 4 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 6 | −3 | 1 |
Top Players
Thibaut Courtois
For 45 minutes, Belgium were in full control against Israel. Courtois could have pulled out a deck chair and sat down in his goal if he wanted, and it wouldn't have made a difference. The fact it was only 1-0 at half-time was a shock, and it set the table for a fantastic second half.
Visibly struggling with the humidity, the Red Devils started to crack. Israel attacked relentlessly, and the pressure only mounted when Kompany saw his second yellow card. Suddenly, Belgium were in trouble.
Luckily, Chelsea's No. 1 had folded his chair and gotten to work. As shared by UEFAcomBoaz, he almost single-handedly preserved the lead:
The 22-year-old didn't make a ton of stops, but he showed his fantastic athleticism and reach on the ones he made. Even with the dangerous Lior Refaelov leading the attack late, Belgium always looked likely to win thanks to their class stopper.
With Kompany suspended for the pivotal match against Wales in June, even more pressure will rest on the shoulders of Courtois to perform.
Marouane Fellaini
Radja Nainggolan did solid work in midfield but missed a few too many long shots, while Axel Witsel failed to live up to his lofty expectations and put in a decent effort, but no more. Meanwhile, Fellaini was once again the hero for the Belgians, scoring his third in two matches.
As shared by OptaJohan, that's already a personal best in the national shirt for the man with the afro:
Fellaini did far more than just score, however. He was fantastic recuperating the ball in the first half, as the Israeli side struggled to even make it out of their own half, and he was one of the few players who looked in control during the late onslaught from the hosts.
Goal UK's Lee Gormley perhaps put it best:
Watching the tall and clumsy Fellaini play the game can be an odd sight at times, but he gets the job done. There's no denying he's been a very useful player for club and country the past few weeks, to the delight of Manchester United fans.
Tal Ben Haim I
If you're wondering why we're adding the I to his name: Israel have two players named Tal Ben Haim, and they list them as Ben Haim I and Ben Haim II. Really:
Ben Haim I put in an excellent shift in central defence, and he was a big reason the score was just 1-0 at half-time. The Israeli fans probably went home with a pit in their stomach, forgetting the Belgians could—and should—have been up by three or four goals after the first half.
The fact the match took such a drastic turn at half-time came down to Ben Haim's superb performance, highlighted by a key block on Christian Benteke. It's unfortunate it didn't result in any points, because the hosts certainly would have been deserving.
