Abu Farchi red card mars Israel's 3-1 Nations League loss to Austria
Israel forward Saied Abu Farchi was dismissed for simulating a gun with the corner flag after equalising, as Austria went on to win 3-1 in Linz.
Israel's Nations League campaign suffered a setback on Thursday as they lost 3-1 away to Austria, a result overshadowed by the sending-off of forward Saied Abu Farchi.
Abu Farchi had just brought his side level in the 55th minute, heading home to cancel out Austria's first-half lead at the Raiffeisen Arena in Linz.
His celebration proved costly. The forward used the corner flag to mimic firing a gun, a gesture that led to his immediate dismissal, according to Guardian Sport.
Austria had opened the scoring before the break through a penalty converted by Romano Schmid, putting the home side ahead at half-time.
With Israel reduced to 10 men following Abu Farchi's red card, Austria were able to press home their numerical advantage in the second half.
The hosts added further goals to turn a level match into a 3-1 victory, extending their lead beyond the equaliser Abu Farchi had provided.
The defeat leaves Israel to reflect on a match in which they briefly threatened a result away from home before the sending-off altered the balance of the contest.
Austria, by contrast, will take encouragement from a performance in which they controlled the closing stages after Schmid's opener and Abu Farchi's dismissal shifted momentum decisively in their favour.
Neither side's positions in the wider Nations League table were detailed in the reporting of the match, though the result adds another data point to Israel's away form in the competition this campaign.
Attention for both sides now turns to their next fixtures in the group, with Israel likely to face questions over discipline after a night in Linz that produced both an equaliser and an early exit for one of their forwards.