Abu Farchi Sent Off After Celebration in Austria Defeat

Israel forward Saied Abu Farchi was sent off after his goal celebration during a 3-1 defeat by Austria in a UEFA Nations League match on Thursday, September 24. The 20-year-old had equalized in the second half before the referee showed him a second yellow card for a gesture with the corner flag that was widely described as mimicking a gun. Austria took the lead in the 43rd minute when Romano Schmid scored from the penalty spot. Abu Farchi headed Israel level in the 55th minute, then ran to the corner, pulled out the flag and made a firing motion with the pole, according to match accounts. He had received an earlier booking four minutes before the celebration, so the second yellow resulted in a red card and left Israel with 10 players. The dismissal came with more than half an hour remaining, according to one match account. Austria did not regain the lead until the 90th minute, when Philipp Mwene scored from a cross by Paul Wanner. Sasa Kalajdzic added a third goal in stoppage time to complete the 3-1 win. Descriptions of Abu Farchi’s gesture have differed, and its intended meaning has not been established.