SASA KALAJDZIC’s last-gasp header saved Austria’s World Cup dream but condemned Iran to miss out on the knockout rounds.
The result wrapped up the group stages at the tournament with both teams booking their spots in the knockout stages.
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Sasa Kalajdzic saved Austria from being dumped out of the World Cup Credit: Reuters
Riyad Mahrez thought he had won the game for Algeria Credit: EPA
Before kick-off, Algeria and Austria both needed a point to make sure of their progression in the World Cup.
Marko Arnautovic gave the Europeans the lead in the 28th minute as he managed to bundle the ball past goalkeeper Oussama Benbot.
But Austria were not able to hold on to the lead until the break as Alergia benefited from a huge slice of fortune to level.
The ball was headed out of play before it bounced off the post and wrong-footed Phillipp Mwene.
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Austria finished second in Group J Credit: Getty
Algeria claimed the last third-placed qualification spot Credit: Getty
The defender hauled down Riyad Mahrez, but the ball ran for Rafik Belghali, who drove into the box and slammed his shot into the goal.
Austria restored their lead after the break as Marcel Sabitzer found the net from the edge of the area.
Algeria fought back once again as Mahrez scored his 39th international goal as he pounced on a loose ball in the box.
And the former Manchester City man was at it again in the dying seconds as he scored what he thought was a dramatic winner.
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Mahrez’s goal saw Algeria temporarily jump to second place in Group J and Austria packing their bags.
But the script was not done there as Sasa Kalajdzic netted with the header of the game to save Austria’s spot in the tournament.
The goal saved Austria’s spot in the World Cup and put them back into second place.
Algeria returned to third in the group, but the point was enough to progress.
Marko Arnautovic scored the opener for Austria Credit: AFP
Algeria got lucky in the build-up to Rafik Belghali’s goal Credit: AP
Iran have missed out on the knockout round because of the result Credit: Getty
One consequence of the result was that Algeria took one of the third-placed spots to progress to the knockout stages.
This meant that Iran missed out on progressing to the last-32 of the tournament.
The Middle Eastern nation had come up against a number of challenges at the World Cup due to the war with the USA.
This included moving training bases from Tucson, Arizona to Tijuana, Mexico and multiple visa issues.
The team had their time in the USA limited around matchdays, which majorly affected their preparations.
