France, Israel play to goalless draw amid security concerns

By Emre Asikci

ISTANBUL (AA) – A UEFA Nations League match between France and Israel ended in a goalless draw Thursday amid tight security.

Neither national team was able to break the deadlock during the 90 minutes at the 80,000-seat Stade de France in Saint-Denis.

The venue saw a notably low turnout for the Group A2 match, with only 20,000 tickets having been sold, giving the game a subdued atmosphere.

Tight security measures were in place, including 4,000 police officers, following violence last week in Amsterdam when clashes broke out involving fans of Maccabi Tel Aviv before and after their match against Ajax.

In another Thursday clash, Italy clinched a narrow victory over Belgium with a lone goal from Sandro Tonali in the 11th minute at Brussels' King Baudouin Stadium.

In Group A2, Italy lead with 13 points, followed by France with 10 points. Belgium are in third place with four points and Israel are at the bottom with one point.

Italy and France advanced to the quarterfinals.

Belgium and Israel will face off in the final match of the group, with both national teams aiming to avoid direct relegation to League B.

Thursday's results:

Kazakhstan - Austria: 0-2

Armenia - Faroe Islands: 0-1

North Macedonia - Latvia: 1-0

France - Israel: 0-0

Belgium - Italy: 0-1

Slovenia - Norway: 1-4

Ireland - Finland: 1-0

Greece - England: 0-3