Saied Abu Farchi sent off after goal celebration in Israel's match against Austria
In the UEFA Nations League, Israel's Saied Abu Farchi was sent off with a second yellow card due to his actions following his equalizing goal.
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In the UEFA Nations League match between Austria and Israel held in Linz, the goal celebration of Israeli footballer Saied Abu Farchi left its mark on the game. The 20-year-old player was shown a red card following a second yellow card due to the gesture he made after scoring the goal that brought his team level.
In the match at the Raiffeisen Arena, Austria took the lead in the 43rd minute with a penalty goal from Romano Schmid. Israel leveled the score at 1-1 at the beginning of the second half with a header from Abu Farchi in the 55th minute.
After scoring, Abu Farchi removed the corner flag from its place, held it in his hand, and mimicked the action of firing a weapon toward the stands. The Bulgarian referee, Georgi Kabakov, showed the second yellow card to the player, who had already been booked.
Following this decision, Israel was left with 10 men on the pitch just as they had found the equalizer. Increasing their pressure in the final stages against their shorthanded opponent, Austria won the match 3-1 with goals from Phillipp Mwene in the 90th minute and Sasa Kalajdzic in the 90+3rd minute.
Due to the red card, Abu Farchi will be unable to play in Israel's next official match. It is not yet clear whether UEFA will conduct a separate disciplinary review regarding the player's gesture during his goal celebration.