Abu Farchi sent off after corner-flag celebration as Austria beat Israel

Israel forward Saied Abu Farchi was sent off after celebrating his equaliser with a corner flag as Austria won their Nations League meeting 3-1 in Linz on Thursday. The 20-year-old received a second yellow card during the celebration, leaving Israel to complete the match with 10 players.

Watch the highlights:

Romano Schmid had put Austria ahead from the penalty spot before the interval at the Raiffeisen Arena. Abu Farchi's second-half header brought Israel back to 1-1, but the scorer was dismissed almost immediately afterwards. The Associated Press reported that his first booking had come only four minutes before the second.

Accounts differed over exactly what the gesture represented. BBC Sport described Abu Farchi as appearing to imitate firing a gun. AP reported that he removed the flag, knelt on his right knee and rested the pole on his left hand, but said it was not immediately clear whether he was mimicking a weapon or a pool shot.

Austria did not restore their lead until the closing stages. Phillipp Mwene scored in the 90th minute from a Paul Wanner cross, before Sasa Kalajdzic finished from close range in added time, according to RTE's match report. The two late goals turned a level game into a two-goal victory for the hosts.

The dismissal came during an early milestone in Abu Farchi's international career. Goal reported that the header was his first senior goal for Israel in only his second appearance, following a brief debut against Albania in June. He joined Major League Soccer club Colorado Rapids from Maccabi Tel Aviv earlier this month.

Football's law on goal celebrations requires a booking for conduct considered provocative, mocking or inflammatory. The International Football Association Board also says celebrations must not be excessive or cause excessive time-wasting. Those provisions set out the disciplinary framework; they do not establish what Abu Farchi intended by his particular gesture.

RTE reported that Abu Farchi will miss Israel's match against the Republic of Ireland on Sunday following the sending-off. Its report left open whether UEFA would impose any additional sanction. The immediate consequence for Israel was clear: their equaliser was followed by a dismissal, and Austria eventually took all three points.