In the UEFA Nations League, Israel was defeated 3-1 away by Austria. The most talked-about moment of the match was the red card shown to 20-year-old Israeli forward Saied Abu Farchi following his goal celebration.
In the match played at the Raiffeisen Arena in Linz, Austria took the lead before the end of the first half with a penalty goal from Romano Schmid. Israel equalized in the 55th minute with a header from Abu Farchi.
Shortly after the goal, Abu Farchi headed to the corner flag, removed it from its place, and performed a celebration interpreted as a shooting gesture. The Israeli footballer had received a yellow card four minutes before this incident.
The referee showed the young player a second yellow card following the celebration, and Abu Farchi was sent off with a red card. Following this decision, Israel played the remainder of the match with 10 men.
It was stated that Abu Farchi defended his action by claiming it was not a shooting imitation, but rather an attempt to mimic hitting a ball with a cue in billiards. However, the referee's decision did not change.
Speaking after the match, Israel head coach Ran Ben Shimon made a statement supporting his player. Ben Shimon said, "He is a young boy, he will learn. We will support him and boost his morale."
Using their numerical advantage, Austria found the result in the final stages. In the 90th minute, Phillipp Mwene sent the ball into the net from a cross by Paul Wanner, making the score 2-1. With a goal from Sasa Kalajdzic in stoppage time, the lead increased to two, and the match ended 3-1.
News Source: 12punto
