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06/28/26 12:12:00
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06/28 00:07 CDT Austria, Algeria trade goals in stoppage time, both advance at
World Cup with stunning 3-3 draw
Austria, Algeria trade goals in stoppage time, both advance at World Cup with
stunning 3-3 draw
By DAVE SKRETTA
AP Sports Writer
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) --- Algeria and Austria knew that a pedestrian draw
Saturday night would have sent both to the knockout round of the World Cup.
They delivered a thrilling 3-3 draw instead.
In the wildest finish of the group stage, Algeria took the lead in stoppage
time only for Austria to answer on the final play of the game, making it a
win-win result for those teams and a heartbreaking loss for Iran, which was
eliminated from the tournament.
"I've been a coach for about 40 years. I don't remember a game that had such a
dramatic course, and such an unexpected trajectory," Austria coach Ralf
Rangnick said, shaking his head. "Even at the beginning of the match, if
someone would have said it would be 3-3, nobody would have believed it.
Somebody would have won an incredible bet, I guess."
The game was tied 2-all in the closing minutes, and Algeria looked as if it was
content to run out the clock and allow both teams to advance, when Riyad Mahrez
scored his second goal of the game. That put Austria on the verge of
elimination, only for Sasa Kalajdzic to head in the equalizer a couple of
minutes later, rescuing Das Team's World Cup hopes.
"The locker room is madness," Rangnick said with a smile. "If Alfred Hitchcock
--- who had nothing to do with soccer, didn't really like soccer --- if he had
written such a drama, I would have said he was completely mad."
Marko Arnautovic and Marcel Sabitzer also had goals for Austria, which finished
second behind Argentina in Group J to advance for the first time since 1982.
Its reward is a matchup with European champion Spain on Thursday in Los Angeles.
Rafik Belghali also scored for Les Fennecs, who became the ninth of 10 teams
from Africa to advance. They finished third in the group but get a potentially
easier Round of 32 matchup with Switzerland on Thursday night in Vancouver,
British Columbia.
"It's a feeling of being extremely happy," Mahrez said. "We're obviously happy,
and it was the objective when we arrived --- it was to go beyond the first
round. That's what we did, and we're all very happy."
Iran would've advanced as one of the eight best third-place teams had Austria
or Algeria won. But when Kalajdzic scored in stoppage time to tie the game one
last time, it meant Team Melli was eliminated in heartbreaking fashion.
"When you have 3-3," Rangnick said, "nobody can assume that it was an agreement
(to tie) or anything like that."
The first three World Cup matches at Arrowhead Stadium had seen the home of the
Kansas City Chiefs flooded in the light blue of Argentina, yellow of Ecuador
and highlighter orange of the Netherlands. But in the city's group finale, the
Algeria green and red of the Austrians were complemented by thousands of locals
just happy to score a less expensive World Cup ticket.
Many of those locals appeared to be rooting for Algeria, though, which has made
its training base in nearby Lawrence, Kansas, and has struck up a unique
friendship with the small college town home to the University of Kansas.
Few of those new fans of Les Fennecs probably knew about the "Disgrace of
Gijn."
Yet longtime Algeria supporters had been waiting 44 years for some World Cup
revenge against Austria. At the 1982 tournament, Austria and West Germany
seemingly quit playing after the latter took a 1-0 lead, because that outcome
ensured both would advance at the expense of Algeria, which protested to FIFA
to no avail and was eliminated from the World Cup.
Some were curious whether the expanded 48-team field would result in a
"Disgrace of Kansas City," since both teams knew by kickoff that a draw would
send them through. Instead, a crowd of 69,045 on Saturday night was treated to
a dramatic 90-plus minutes.
Austria struck first when Arnautovic perfectly timed a run between two Algerian
defenders, found himself one-on-one with goalkeeper Oussama Benbot, and
overcame a stumble to score his record-extending 49th career goal for his
nation.
Algeria answered just before halftime, when Belghali's left-footed shot easily
beat Austrian goalkeeper Alexander Schlager.
The frenetic pace continued early in the second half on a hot night in Kansas
City.
Not content with a 1-1 draw, Austria's Konrad Laimer sent a sharp pass across
the field that Sabitzer finished to regain the lead --- and give Iran some hope
--- only for Algeria to answer minutes later, when Mahrez scored off a perfect
cross from Houssem Aouar.
It remained 2-2 down the stretch, and Algeria began to play keep-away as an
antsy crowd began to hoot and whistle. But just when it seemed that would be
it, Mahrez and Kalajdzic ended the group stage of the World Cup in memorable
fashion.
"I think the match was a little crazy. It sort of went beyond the limits of
everyone's endurance," said Algeria coach Vladimir Petkovic. "Let's celebrate
our promotion, so to speak, let's rest and then we will begin again for the
next round."
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See more of AP's World Cup coverage here
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