3-3 against Algeria

LIVE: Arnautovic scores! Austria leads 1-0

An incredible game that sparked incredible celebrations: Austria is through to the World Cup round of 32.(Bild: Sepp Pail)

Total World Cup madness! Austria advances to the Round of 16 after an unbelievable 3-3 draw in their final group stage match against Algeria—thanks to a goal by “super sub” Sasa Kalajdzic in the 96th minute. This marks the first time in 44 years that the Austrian national team has advanced to the knockout stage of the World Cup.

Marko Arnautovic (28th minute) and Marcel Sabitzer (55th minute) put the Austrians ahead, but the Algerians managed to equalize twice thanks to Rafik Belghali (45th minute) and Riyad Mahrez (60th minute). After Mahrez’s second goal (93rd minute), Austria appeared to be out of the tournament, but Kalajdzic headed the ball in at practically the last second to secure Austria’s victory.

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First Time Since 1982 to Advance Past the World Cup Group Stage
The ÖFB team advanced past the group stage of a World Cup for the first time since 1982 and will play a knockout match at a World Cup for the first time since 1954—and they’re doing so as clear underdogs. Spain, with star player Lamine Yamal, is considered one of the top contenders for the title.

Head coach Ralf Rangnick named Arnautovic to the starting lineup for the first time in this tournament. Romano Schmid played as the number 10 this time, while Konrad Laimer was positioned on the right wing. With the exception of the substitution of Arnautovic for Sasa Kalajdzic, the ÖFB’s starting lineup was identical to that of the opening match against Jordan (3–1). Algeria’s national team coach Vladimir Petkovic put his trust in Oussama Benbot in goal instead of Luca Zidane, while left back Rayan Ait-Nouri—who plays for Manchester City—started on the bench for the time being. 

First Good Offensive Play Led to 1–0
The match began in front of 69,045 fans with a minute of silence for the earthquake victims in Venezuela; after that, both teams took it easy. Long-range shots by Xaver Schlager (8th minute) and Ibrahim Maza (10th minute) missed the target by a wide margin. The very first successful play of the entire match led to a 1-0 lead for Austria. David Alaba played a perfect pass to Arnautovic, who chipped the ball past Benbot, who didn’t come off his line. For the ÖFB’s all-time leading scorer, it was his 49th goal in his 136th international match.

After that, the Algerians stepped up their game. While the Austrian team had little to show before halftime—just a chance by Laimer (33rd minute) that was thwarted by Benbot and a blocked shot by Nicolas Seiwald (45+2)—the North Africans made significantly more forays into the opponent’s danger zone. Belghali shot wide of the far post (32'), Maza hit the side netting (36'), and an attempt by Fares Chaibi from the edge of the penalty area struck the post (40').

The 1-1 equalizer was in the making, resulting from a combination of bad luck and poor play. Phillipp Mwene tried to let an overhit pass from the Algerians bounce out of bounds, but the ball ricocheted off the corner flag back into play. Mahrez seized the opportunity; the ball found its way to Belghali, who first hit Xaver Schlager, then left Marcel Sabitzer and Alaba in his wake before firing a powerful shot into the near corner.

Rangnick made three substitutions at halftime
Rangnick reacted at halftime with a triple substitution. The injured Arnautovic, along with Xaver Schlager and Schmid, remained in the locker room; Michael Gregoritsch, Paul Wanner, and Florian Grillitsch came on as substitutes. This likely helped bring more calm to the game, before Austria struck—as they had in the first half—practically out of nowhere. Laimer won a duel against Jaouen Hadjam and played a low pass into the box, where Sabitzer made it 2–1 with a composed first-time finish. The Styrian scored his 27th goal in his 101st international match, moving him into seventh place on the ÖFB’s all-time scoring list, ahead of Andreas Herzog and Matthias Sindelar.

As in the first half, Austria found itself under pressure after taking the lead. Houssem Aouar beat Stefan Posch, and Mahrez converted his cross. Shortly afterward, Alaba had to leave the field with a muscle injury. Without their captain, the Austrian national team didn’t have to weather any more dangerous situations for a long time, as Algeria stopped taking major risks. Austria also held back in the closing minutes.

In the final minutes, the game was essentially just a back-and-forth passing drill. Spectators began leaving the stadium early, and loud boos could be heard, but suddenly events came to a head: Mahrez, left criminally unmarked by the Austrian defense, scored into the far corner and appeared to knock Austria out of the tournament. In the Austrian team’s final desperate attack, Gregoritsch headed the ball to Kalajdzic, who had just come on as a substitute, and Kalajdzic secured a spot in the round of 32 with a header of his own.

Algeria – Austria 3:3 (1:1)
Kansas City Stadium, 69,045 spectators (sold out), Referee Tantashev (UZB)

Goals: 0–1 (28') Arnautovic
1–1 (45') Belghali
1–2 (55') Sabitzer
2:2 (60') Mahrez
3–2 (93') Mahrez
3:3 (96.) Kalajdzic

Algeria: Benbot – Belghali (71. Chergui), Mandi, Bensebaini, Hadjam (71. Ait-Nouri) – Chaibi, Bentaleb – Mahrez, Maza, Aouar (94. Ghedjemis) – Gouiri (71. Belaid)

Austria: A. Schlager – Posch, Lienhart, Alaba (62. Danso), Mwene (95. Kalajdzic) – Seiwald, X. Schlager (46. Grillitsch) – Laimer, Schmid (46. Wanner), Sabitzer – Arnautovic (46. Gregoritsch)

Yellow cards: none, or Arnautovic