Belgium beats Israel to reach Nations League Final Four

Belgium rallied from a goal down to beat Israel 2-1 in Brussels and secure a place in the Nations League final four on Sunday.

Eran Zahavi put the visitors ahead in the 25th minute when he headed in a cross from Manor Solomon, but Romelu Lukaku equalized just before halftime with a penalty. The host side began to dominate the match in the second half, and Michy Batshuayi got the winning goal in the 64th minute when he tapped in a cross from Dries Mertens. The win takes Belgium top of Group B2 with 15 points, two ahead of England, who beat Iceland 4-0 in the other group game. Israel finished third with three points.

Lukaku's goal was his 63rd for Belgium, moving him one ahead of Eden Hazard as the country's all-time leading scorer.

The Nations League is a new competition launched by UEFA in 2018. It is designed to replace international friendlies and provide more competitive matches for European nations. The teams are divided into four leagues, with promotion and relegation between the leagues. The final four of the inaugural edition will be played in June 2019.

Belgium is the top-ranked team in the world, according to the FIFA rankings. They are the reigning World Cup bronze medalists and have reached the semifinals of the last two major tournaments.

Israel is ranked 94th in the world. They have never qualified for a major tournament, but they have won the Asian Cup once and the Mediterranean Games twice.