Ralf Rangnick, the Austria head coach, dismissed any suggestion of a prearranged result between his side and Algeria following their breathtaking 3-3 draw in the final group match of the World Cup—a scoreline that sent both teams into the round of 16.
For the German manager, the proof lies in the two goals scored in quick succession during stoppage time: first, Algeria captain Riyad Mahrez thought he had secured a 3-2 win in the 93rd minute, only for Austria substitute Sasa Kalajdzic to equalise virtually on the last action of the game.
“In this match, when you have a score of 3-3, nobody can assume it was an agreement, especially given what we saw in the final 90 seconds,” Rangnick said.
“Three minutes from the end, if someone had predicted what would happen, they’d have been called crazy,” he added.
“I’ve been a coach for around 40 years and I can’t recall a game with such a dramatic turn of events and such an unexpected trajectory.”
“Most people expected a 0-0 or 1-1, and in the end it’s 3-3. It’s incredible. The dressing room is absolute madness. If Alfred Hitchcock had written that script, I’d probably have said he was completely insane.”
Rangnick also highlighted that both teams continued to play and try to score even before Mahrez’s goal.
“Anyone who watched the last 15 minutes knows there was no sign that the players were desperately seeking a draw,” he stated. “I think they wanted to win.”
“Nobody can tell me that in the 93rd minute someone suddenly thought, ‘Oh yes, let’s score another goal.’ I think maybe one or two Algerian players had that idea, but I believe it wasn’t the case for the rest of the team, and certainly not for me.”
