Eli Guttman has resigned as manager of the Israel national football team following its failure to qualify for the Euro 2016 finals.
Having won their first three matches, Israel looked well-placed to reach their first European Championship finals, but they managed to secure only a further four points out of a possible 21, missing out on the play-offs altogether.
Israel went into their last two matches - at home to Cyprus and away to Belgium - with their destiny in their hands but they suffered an embarrassing 2-1 defeat in the first match and their fate was sealed when Kevin De Bryune and Eden Hazard registered in Belgium's 3-1 victory in Brussels last night.
After the game, Guttman said: "I always believed we could finish third and that's what I was aiming for.
"We weren't far from going through but Belgium, Wales and Bosnia were simply better than Israel. I regret we didn't succeed but neither was it a failure.
In his resignation statement, Guttman said it had been a "great privilege to lead Israel in the past two campaigns".
He said: "It was and remains the professional pinnacle for any Israeli coach who dreams of one day of reaching such an extremely prestigious position.