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Algeria and Austria drew a crazy match. |
The draw helped the African representative become the last team to qualify for the knockout round of the 2026 World Cup, finishing in third place, after the Democratic Republic of Congo, Sweden, Ghana, Ecuador, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Paraguay, and Senegal.
This year's playoff race was incredibly fierce. Seven third-placed teams earned 4 points: the Democratic Republic of Congo, Sweden, Ghana, Ecuador, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Algeria, and Paraguay. Meanwhile, Senegal was the only team to advance with 3 points and a goal difference of +2.
Notably, Iran , South Korea, and Scotland all had 3 points like Senegal but were eliminated due to inferior goal difference.
Back at the Arrowhead Stadium, Algeria and Austria produced a dramatic match. Austria opened the scoring in the 28th minute when Marko Arnautovic capitalized on a long pass from David Alaba, finishing with a shot that, though not perfectly executed, still beat the Algerian goalkeeper. Before the first half ended, Algeria equalized 1-1 in the 45th minute thanks to a surprise move by defender Belghali inside the penalty area.
In the second half, Austria took the lead again in the 55th minute. Konrad Laimer assisted Marcel Sabitzer, who scored to make it 2-1, pushing Algeria out of the group of best third-placed teams. But just 5 minutes later, Riyad Mahrez scored the equalizer, making it 2-2.
However, the drama didn't end there. Algeria unexpectedly conceded a goal to Mahrez in the 90+4th minute, putting them in second place in the group. If the result remained unchanged, Austria would have been eliminated. But just one minute later, Austria equalized 3-3. Thus, Austria reclaimed second place in a nail-biting fashion.
In the round of 32, Austria will face Spain, while Algeria will take on Switzerland . Both matches will be played on July 3rd.
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Ranking of third-place teams at the 2026 World Cup. |
Source: https://znews.vn/kich-ban-dien-ro-o-world-cup-2026-post1663867.html
