Austria and Algeria qualified for the round of 32 World Cup After a thrilling six-goal game in Kansas City.
Playing in last place, both teams knew they would qualify with one point, leading to fears of a 0-0 draw.
But this couldn’t be further from the truth.
Algeria coach Vladimir Petkovic described the Group J match as “a bit crazy” after the two teams served up the tournament’s most chaotic end to date.
Austria took the lead twice, opening the scoring in the 28th minute through veteran Marko Arnautovic, who timed his run perfectly to beat the offside trap and slot home David Alaba’s lofted pass. Algeria fought back just before the end of the first half when right-back Rafik Belghali pounced on a loose ball after it had hit the corner flag, dazzled three Austrian defenders and fired it into the roof of the net.
Austria regained the upper hand thanks to a brilliant strike from Marcel Sabitzer. However, their lead lasted just five minutes when Houssem Aouar squared for Algeria captain Riyad Mahrez to fire the ball past the back post.
With both teams realizing that one point would guarantee qualification to the knockout rounds, the match witnessed a period of calm until an exciting end.
Algeria looked to have sealed the win with a goal in the 93rd minute to make it 3-2, with Mahrez scoring his second goal of the night after an explosive counter-attack. But with Austria facing elimination and seconds remaining, 6ft 7in substitute striker Saša Kalajdzic scored the equalizer three minutes into stoppage time with his first touch of the game.
This means that Iran – which thought it had a reprieve just moments ago – will lose.
Austria coach Ralf Rangnick said the match’s extraordinary final should silence any conspiracy theories.
“In this match, when the score is 3-3, no one can assume it was an agreement, especially what we saw in the last 90 seconds,” he said.
“It’s beyond everyone’s ability to handle it,” Petkovic added.
With a point, Austria qualified as Group J runner-up to face Spain, while Algeria qualified as one of the best third-placed teams. The North Africans will now face Switzerland in the round of 32, meaning Petkovic is ready for an emotional encounter with the team he coached from 2014 to 2021.
Petkovic said: “Switzerland is a great team. I know them, even if there are new faces. Some of them played with me, so I know these players.”
But he added that his immediate focus is on recovery and not on Algeria’s next opponent.
“Let’s rest and then we’ll start again in the next round,” he said.
