Late goal rush sees Austria, Algeria advance

Algeria and Austria knew that a pedestrian draw on Saturday night would have sent both to the knockout round of the World Cup.

They delivered a six-goal thriller instead.

In the wildest finish of the group stage, Algeria took the lead in stoppage time only for Austria to answer in the final seconds of the match, making it 3-3 at the final whistle.

It was a win-win result for both teams, but a heartbreaking one 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."

Austria struck first when Marko 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 Rafik 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, where many of the locals appeared to be rooting for Algeria, which made its training base in the nearby town of Lawrence and has struck up a unique friendship with the residents.

Not content with a 1-1 draw, Austria's Konrad Laimer sent a sharp pass across the field that Marcel Sabitzer finished to regain the lead — and give Iran some hope — only for Algeria to answer minutes later, when Riyad Mahrez scored off a perfect cross from Houssem Aouar.

The game was tied at two goals apiece in the closing minutes, and Algeria looked as if it was content to run out the clock and allow both teams to advance, when Mahrez, who obviously hadn't read the script, scored his second goal of the game.

That put Austria on the verge of elimination, only for Sasa Kalajdzic to head in the equalizer just a minute later, rescuing his team's World Cup hopes and devastating Iran's hopes of advancing.

"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."

"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."

Iran would've advanced as one of the eight best third-placed teams had Austria or Algeria won, but when Kalajdzic scored in stoppage time to tie the game one last time, it signaled the end of a grueling tournament for the Iranians.

"When you have 3-3, nobody can assume that it was an agreement (to tie) or anything like that," Rangnick said, perhaps referencing the infamous "Disgrace of Gijon" that occurred during the 1982 tournament in Spain, when Austria and then West Germany were widely accused of fixing the result of their final group game so both sides would advance, ironically, at the expense of Algeria.

Germany scored early on in that game, and both teams then proceeded to play keep-ball in their respective backfields until the final whistle.

While it was never officially proven that there was any nefarious agreement, it prompted FIFA to introduce simultaneous kickoffs for the final group matches at every World Cup.

The newly expanded 48-team format, however, has raised concerns of a possible repeat of that ignominious day, with some teams in the final round of group games, such as Austria and Algeria, once again knowing what results would secure a knockout place.

There is no doubt, though, that there were plenty of longtime Algeria supporters who had been waiting 44 years for some World Cup revenge against Austria, and Mahrez came agonizingly close to delivering it for them.

Their disappointment would have been one last painful moment for Iran in a World Cup that's been tumultuous, on and off the pitch.

The team has been playing at the same time as Tehran negotiates with Washington on terms of a deal meant to permanently end the ongoing conflict instigated by United States and Israeli air strikes on Iran earlier this year.

During the World Cup, Iran coach Amir Ghalenoei and players complained about numerous complications, including travel restrictions, visa denials for support staff and forced immediate departures from the US after matches.

US officials have said all such restrictions were known before the tournament.

After Iran was eliminated Saturday night, the team sent a statement expressing "heartfelt appreciation to the wonderful people of Mexico, especially the beautiful city of Tijuana," where its base camp was located after being forced to change its original plans to stay in the US.

"Leaving Tijuana is truly difficult for all of us," the statement said.

For the first two matches, near Los Angeles, the team was not permitted to travel until the day before and had to return to Mexico immediately after each game.

"We were treated very, very badly," Ghalenoei said after Friday's draw with Egypt left the Iranians clinging to hope they would get to the next round.

"I hope the world becomes aware of these issues.

"What these young Iranian national team players have done should be recorded in history," Ghalenoei said.

"Why? Because the host treated us in the worst possible way."

Austria, which finished second behind Argentina in Group J to advance for the first time since that fateful game in 1982, is rewarded with a match against European champion and one of the tournament favorites Spain in Los Angeles.

Meanwhile, Algeria will face Switzerland in Vancouver, Canada.

Both games are set to be played on Thursday.

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