This was Estonia's first match in the Nations League; at stake a chance for promotion to the B-tier.

Four days earlier, Israel had already beaten Bulgaria, also 3-1.

With promotion at stake, the winner of the three-team group secures a place in the Nations League B-tier, while the second-place team also has a chance to advance through play-offs.

Manager Aleksandra Ševoldajeva admitted defensive lapses and a lack of key player engagement at the Estonia-Israel game, played on neutral territory in Györ, Hungary.

Ševoldajeva said post-match: "We could have been significantly more effective in defense in such situations, but unfortunately, we have only had a limited number of opportunities to practice for them."

"We want to achieve everything at once and focus on various details, but there simply isn't enough time for that," Ševoldajeva went on, speaking to jalgpall.ee.

"Israel was certainly a very top-quality opponent, but we had moments ourselves that we can and want to improve on, in order to leave the game with a better outcome."

According to Ševoldajeva, Estonia also struggled in the first half due to a lack of activity from key players.

She said: "One of our objectives was to find space between the lines, but unfortunately, we were unable to do so. Consequently, we made adjustments in the second half, to probe dangerous areas."

Noa Selimhodzic put Israel ahead in the 35th minute, while Elianna Hutchinson extended their lead in the 48th minute.

Estonia struggled to create clear chances but found a breakthrough late in the game. Katrin Kirpu, who had come off the bench, scored in the 78th minute to give Estonia a lifeline, yet that momentum proved short-lived as Irena Kuznetsov struck just minutes later to restore Israel's two-goal advantage.

Estonia's next match is a home fixture against Bulgaria at the start of April.

The second legs against Israel, at home, and Bulgaria away, take place in late May-early June.

The winner of the three-team group goes through to the Nations League B-tier, and the second-place team also has a chance to advance via the play-offs.

The UEFA Women's Nations League is a biennial European women's football competition with a league system, promotion and relegation, a final tournament, and links to major international tournament qualifications.

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