Israel forward Saied Abu Farchi was sent off after appearing to mimic firing a gun during his goal celebration in Israel’s 3-1 defeat to Austria in the UEFA Nations League on Thursday.

The 20-year-old Colorado Rapids player scored Israel’s equaliser in the 55th minute at the Raiffeisen Arena in Linz before running towards the corner flag and using it to imitate a firearm.

The referee, Georgi Kabakov, had booked Abu Farchi four minutes earlier and subsequently showed him a second yellow card for the celebration, resulting in a red card and leaving Israel with 10 players for the remainder of the match.

Football’s Laws of the Game permit referees to caution players for goal celebrations that are considered provocative, derisory or inflammatory.

Austria had taken the lead shortly before half-time through Romano Schmid, who converted from the penalty spot.

Abu Farchi restored parity for Israel with a header in the 55th minute, but his dismissal left his side a player short as Austria pushed for a winner.

Austria eventually regained the lead in the 90th minute when Phillipp Mwene finished from a cross by Paul Wanner.

Sasa Kalajdzic then added a third goal in stoppage time to complete the 3-1 victory for the hosts.

The defeat came amid heightened international attention surrounding Israel’s participation in European football competitions against the backdrop of the ongoing war in Gaza.

There have also been calls in Ireland for the national team to boycott upcoming Nations League matches against Israel.

The fixtures are scheduled to be played at neutral venues and behind closed doors.

The conflict began following the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, which killed about 1,200 people and resulted in 251 hostages being taken, according to Israeli figures cited by international organisations.

Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry has reported more than 73,000 deaths from Israeli military operations.

International organisations, including the United Nations, have described the ministry’s casualty figures as broadly reliable, although figures from parties to the conflict remain subject to verification and revision.

For Abu Farchi, the incident added a controversial moment to what had otherwise been a significant night after he scored his first goal for Israel in only his second international appearance.

The 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying campaign got underway on Thursday with eight matches played across the continent, while Nigeria will begin their Group L campaign against Madagascar on Friday.

The Super Eagles are scheduled to host Madagascar at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, with kick-off set for 5pm Nigerian time.

Nigeria are in Group L alongside Madagascar, Guinea-Bissau and Tanzania, one of the co-hosts of the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations.

With Tanzania already guaranteed a place at the tournament as a co-host, the remaining qualification place in the group will be contested by Nigeria, Madagascar and Guinea-Bissau.

Nigeria will therefore be aiming to begin their campaign with a victory over Madagascar before travelling to face Guinea-Bissau in their second group fixture on Tuesday.

Madagascar, meanwhile, will take on Tanzania in their next Group L match.

Thursday’s AFCON 2027 qualifying results
Group C
Côte d’Ivoire 2-0 Ghana
Côte d’Ivoire began their qualifying campaign on a winning note after defeating Ghana 2-0.

Malick Yalcouyé opened the scoring before Franck Kessié added the second goal as the Elephants secured all three points.

Group E
DR Congo 2-0 Equatorial Guinea
DR Congo defeated Equatorial Guinea 2-0 in their opening Group E fixture.

Chancel Mbemba put the hosts ahead early in the match, while Yoane Wissa doubled their advantage in the second half.

Group E
Sierra Leone 2-3 Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe staged a remarkable second-half comeback to defeat Sierra Leone 3-2.

Sierra Leone appeared to be in control after Alie Conteh and Sallieu Tarawallie gave them a 2-0 lead before half-time.

However, Zimbabwe responded after the break, with Marshall Munetsi scoring twice and Tawanda Chirewa adding another goal to complete the comeback.

Group F
Mauritania 3-1 Central African Republic
Mauritania recovered from an early setback to beat the Central African Republic 3-1.

Aboubakary Koïta, Dawda Camara and Mamadou Diallo were on target for the hosts.
Group G
Namibia 1-0 Congo
Namibia started their campaign with a narrow 1-0 victory over Congo.

Bethuel Muzeu scored shortly after half-time to give Namibia the three points.
Group G
Cameroon 3-1 Comoros
Cameroon defeated Comoros 3-1 in their opening fixture.

David Roy Nyengue, Bryan Mbeumo and Daniel Namaso scored for Cameroon, while Comoros pulled one goal back through a free-kick.

Group H
Tunisia 1-1 Uganda
Tunisia were held to a 1-1 draw by Uganda.

Ali Arous gave Tunisia the lead before Rogers Mato equalised for Uganda as both teams settled for a point.

Group H
Libya 2-2 Botswana
Libya came from two goals down to earn a 2-2 draw against Botswana.

Tumisang Orebonye scored twice to give Botswana a commanding advantage, but Libya fought back through Maruwan Alhibeeshi and Ezoo El Mariamy, who converted a stoppage-time penalty.

Friday’s AFCON 2027 qualifying fixtures
Several teams will begin their qualifying campaigns on Friday, including Nigeria.

Group A: Niger vs Lesotho; Morocco vs Gabon
Group B: Malawi vs South Sudan; Egypt vs Angola
Group C: Gambia vs Somalia
Group F: Burkina Faso vs Benin
Group I: Togo vs Burundi; Algeria vs Zambia
Group J: Sudan vs Ethiopia; Senegal vs Mozambique.

Group K: Rwanda vs Liberia; Mali vs Cape Verde
Group L: Tanzania vs Guinea-Bissau; Nigeria vs Madagascar.

Nigeria’s encounter with Madagascar will be one of the key fixtures of the day’s programme as the Super Eagles look to make a winning start to their qualification campaign.

The Match Day 1 programme will be completed on Saturday, when Kenya face Eritrea and South Africa take on Guinea.

Ivory Coast began their Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifying campaign on a winning note after defeating Ghana 2-0 in a heavyweight Group C clash in Bouake on Thursday.

Brighton midfielder Malick Yalcouye marked his senior international debut in impressive fashion, scoring the opening goal shortly before half-time to put the hosts in control.

The 20-year-old broke the deadlock in the 44th minute when he unleashed a shot from just outside the penalty area that beat Ghana goalkeeper Lawrence Ati-Zigi at his near post.

Captain Franck Kessie then doubled Ivory Coast’s advantage in the 58th minute after successfully converting a penalty.

The result handed the reigning African champions an important three points at the start of their qualifying campaign, while Ghana were left to reflect on a difficult opening fixture.

Ghana were already without midfielder Mohammed Kudus and suffered further setbacks before and during the encounter, with strikers Jordan Ayew and Antoine Semenyo withdrawing because of injuries.

The match also brought together two prominent coaches in Hervé Renard and Carlos Queiroz.

Renard returned to the Ivory Coast dugout after Emerse Fae’s contract was not renewed following the Elephants’ last-32 exit at the 2026 World Cup.

The French coach previously guided Ivory Coast to the 2015 AFCON title, their second of three continental championships.

Queiroz, meanwhile, took charge of Ghana shortly before the 2026 World Cup.

The Portuguese coach has previously managed Spanish giants Real Madrid and served twice as an assistant to former Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson.

Zimbabwe stage late comeback
Elsewhere on the opening day of the 2027 AFCON qualifiers, Zimbabwe produced a dramatic comeback to defeat Sierra Leone 3-2 in Group E in the Moroccan port city of El Jadida.

Sierra Leone appeared to be heading for victory after taking a two-goal lead, but Zimbabwe captain Marshall Munetsi sparked the comeback with a goal in the 71st minute.

Munetsi then completed the turnaround by scoring the winner in the 89th minute.

Also in Group E, the Democratic Republic of Congo defeated Equatorial Guinea 2-0 in Kinshasa.

Newcastle United striker Yoane Wissa scored in the second half after captain Chancel Mbemba had given DR Congo an early advantage with a fourth-minute header.

Libya snatch late draw
Libya secured a dramatic 2-2 draw against Botswana in Group H after Ezoo El Mariamy converted a penalty in the sixth minute of stoppage time in Tripoli.

The late equaliser denied Botswana victory and ensured both teams collected a point from their opening qualifier.

Namibia defeat Congo Brazzaville
Namibia also secured a 1-0 victory over Congo Brazzaville in Group G, handing veteran French coach Claude Le Roy a losing start to his second spell in charge of the Congolese national team.

Le Roy, 78, returned to international management five years after leaving Togo and is embarking on his sixth African national-team assignment.

The veteran coach has previously managed Cameroon, Senegal, DR Congo, Ghana, Congo Brazzaville and Togo during a national-team career spanning more than four decades.

He guided Cameroon to the 1988 AFCON title in Morocco and also led the Indomitable Lions to the 1986 final, where they lost to hosts Egypt.

Le Roy also coached Ghana to a third-place finish at the 2008 AFCON on home soil.

During his first spell with Congo Brazzaville, he guided the team to the quarter-finals of the 2015 AFCON before they surrendered a two-goal lead and lost 4-2 to DR Congo.

Ahead of Thursday’s meeting with Namibia, Le Roy raised concerns about the involvement of agents in international football, claiming that some agents demand payments before releasing players for national-team duty.

“Some agents — I will not name them — want up to 40,000 euros ($45,500) for certain players to join national squads,” he said.

Namibia, who had to play their home fixture in Botswana’s capital Gaborone because they do not have a stadium meeting international standards, secured victory through Bethuel Muzeu.

The South Africa-based striker scored in the 47th minute, rising between two defenders to head a Riaan Hanamub cross beyond Congo goalkeeper Perrauld Ndinga.

The 2027 AFCON will be jointly hosted by Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda, with qualifying matches now underway across the continent.