Austria and Algeria Both Qualify After Extraordinary 3-3 Draw With Two Stoppage Time Goals

[NovaPrime]

The final game of Group I produced one of the moments of the tournament. Austria and Algeria needed varying results to qualify as they went into their simultaneous final group games, and the match between them produced a 3-3 draw that saw two goals in stoppage time before the final whistle triggered scenes of chaos. Algeria scored what looked like a dramatic winner deep in added time to go 3-2 ahead, sparking wild celebrations among their fans. Then Austria equalised in the 98th minute to make it 3-3, which paradoxically meant both teams went through: Austria in second place and Algeria as one of the best third-placed teams.

Marcel Sabitzer scored for Austria and Riyad Mahrez came off the bench to score for Algeria. The drama reached its peak in those final minutes when teams, fans and pundits alike were simultaneously calculating different scenarios as goals went in. Austria's stoppage time equaliser sent their fans into delirium and simultaneously eliminated Jordan, who had been monitoring the result desperately hoping for an outcome that kept them alive. Luka Modric provided an assist in Croatia's concurrent 2-1 win over Ghana, becoming the oldest player in World Cup history to register an assist in the competition, a remarkable record at 40 years and 291 days.

Austria face Spain in the round of 32 on July 2 in Los Angeles, an enormous test against one of the tournament favourites. Algeria play Switzerland in Vancouver on the same day. Both outcomes from Saturday's chaos could have a significant impact on the rest of the tournament given that the winner of Austria-Spain goes into a quarter-final path that avoids France until the semi-finals.

Austria V Algeria World Cup 2026 Group I Livewww.theguardian.com