Matty Daly’s sweet second-half strike helped Steve Cooper’s Young Lions to three points to begin their campaign at the UEFA U17 European Championships.
The match at Chesterfield’s Proact Stadium started with England’s U17s on top and 1-0 up after Tommy Doyle converted from the spot.
Dan Lugassy equalised for Israel just before half time with his penalty, making it 1-1 at the break.
But England piled on the pressure in the second half and Daly finished off an excellent move to put the seal on the victory and an excellent start to life in Group A.
The match began with the hosts in control and looking to exert their passing game on Israel, with Daly testing opposition goalkeeper Shareef Keouf with an early effort.
Israel’s Liel Abada was booked on early on and minutes later Jimmy Garner had a low, drilled effort from outside the box saved by Keouf.
Midway through the half, central midfielder Garner passed out to the right to Arsenal’s Bukayo Saka, who drove into the box but pulled his effort across the face of the goal.
The warning sign had been given, and on 28 minutes Saka attacked from the same position but was this time brought down in the box, with Tommy Doyle smashing the resultant penalty to the keeper’s right.
Israel almost struck back minutes later but hit the crossbar from distance, and on 36 minutes Daly shot narrowly over from just outside the six-yard-box.
Just before the interval, Israel got back in it with Ethan Laird conceding a penalty and Lugassy finishing coolly from the spot.
After the break, the Young Lions set about reclaiming the lead, with Saka, Garner and Arsenal’s Tyreece John-Jules all going close within the opening to the second half.
Just after the hour-mark the breakthrough came, with Xavier Amaechi passing out wide to Arsenal club-mate Vontae Daley-Campbell, with the full-back crossing low for Daly to apply a classy finish.
West Bromwich Albion’s Rayhaan Tulloch had come on to replace Dylan Crowe and almost made it 3-1 with a right-footed snapshot from just outside the area that Keouf was able to push away from the post.
Israel continued to have problems as the home side attacked down the right flank, with substitute Folarin Balogun almost profiting as Keouf spilled in the area, but the Arsenal man was unable to provide the finish.
Amaechi almost made it three towards the end of six minutes of injury-time but shot over the bar, with the Young Lions campaign up and running with three points and a dominant display.
Cooper’s side will be in action next on Monday afternoon when they face Italy at Walsall’s Banks’s Stadium.
England: 1 Luca Ashby-Hammond (Fulham); 2 Dylan Crowe (Ipswich Town); 3 Nat Ogbeta (Manchester City); 5 Ethan Laird (Manchester United); 12 Vontae Daley-Campbell (Arsenal); 4 Jimmy Garner (Capt) (Manchester United); 8 Tommy Doyle (Manchester City); 11 Xavier Amaechi (Arsenal); 19 Matty Daly (Huddersfield Town); 17 Bukayo Saka (Arsenal); 9 Tyreece John-Jules (Arsenal)
Substitutes: 16 Rayhaan Tulloch (West Bromwich Albion) for Crowe 58, 20 Folarin Balogun (Arsenal) for John-Jules 58, 14 Elijah Dixon-Bonner (Liverpool) for Daly 78
Substitutes not used: 13 Marcus Dewhurst (Sheffield United); 6 Ajibola Alese (West Ham United); 10 Tino Anjorin (Chelsea); 18; Trae Coyle (Arsenal); 15 Bobby Duncan (Unattached)
Goals: Doyle 29 (pen), Daly 61
Cautions: Amaechi 77, Tulloch 81
Head coach: Steve Cooper
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