Austria beat Israel 3-1 after Abu Farchi sent off for gun celebration

Israel forward Saied Abu Farchi scored the equaliser against Austria, picked up the corner flag and pretended to fire it like a gun, and was sent off. Austria went on to win 3-1. A night that briefly belonged to a 20-year-old turned fast.

The UEFA Nations League Group G tie was played at the Raiffeisen Arena in Linz on 24 September 2026, according to Reuters. The Nations League is UEFA's regular competition where European national teams play ranked group matches between World Cups and European Championships. Austria were the home side. Israel were chasing points away from home.

Austria struck first before half-time. Romano Schmid scored from the penalty spot, a free shot from 12 yards awarded for a foul inside the box, as reported by The Guardian. Penalties are one kick against the goalkeeper. Schmid held his nerve to put Austria ahead.

Israel answered ten minutes after the restart. Abu Farchi, aged 20, rose to head the ball into the net in the 55th minute to make it 1-1. A header means guiding the ball with the head, often from a cross. The small group of travelling fans had their moment.

Then came the turning point. Abu Farchi had already been booked four minutes before the goal. His gun-style celebration with the corner flag earned a second yellow card, and two yellows mean a red card and an early exit. Israel were down to ten players with more than half an hour still to play.

Austria used the extra space. With the clock hitting 90 minutes, Phillipp Mwene met Paul Wanner's cross, a ball played in from the wide area, to restore the lead. Deep in stoppage time, the minutes added on for delays, substitute Sasa Kalajdzic finished from close range to seal a 3-1 win.

What makes this stand out is how quickly the mood changed. For a few seconds Israel were level and loud. For the rest of the evening they were chasing the game with ten men, and Austria had the legs and the numbers to pull clear.