Austria and Algeria claim final knockout round places after enthralling six-goal thriller

[p]Both sides came into this game with the unique knowledge that they didn’t necessarily need to win to make it into the knockouts with a draw enough to send them both through.[/p][p]But none of [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/austria/naHiWdnt/"]Austria[/a]’s previous 31 WC matches had ended goalless - an all-time high - and so, a goalless game looked unlikely in Kansas City. Despite that fact, the first 20 minutes of the first half was even with little to split the two sides and neither goalkeeper had to make a save before the first hydration break.[/p][p]However, as it has done so many times during this tournament, the drinks break was followed up by a complete shift of momentum and that is exactly what happened here as Austria broke the deadlock less than two minutes after play resumed.[/p][image alt="Match Stats" id="398eb7e5-9513-49a4-8416-5ab11f1ee640" credit-line="Opta by Stats Perform" guid="5c60ea82-f78d-4aaf-aaa8-2032ae205069" original-width="1080" original-height="1080" /][p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/alaba-david/hKx3nCTp/"]David Alaba[/a] collected the ball just inside his own half before he spotted the run of [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/arnautovic-marko/WvR2ASLR/"]Marko Arnautovic[/a] breaking the line - and just as Patrick Mahomes has done so many times in the NFL in the Arrowhead Stadium - [b]Alaba picked his man in the box with an exquisite pass that left the striker the simple task of sliding the ball past [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/benbot-oussama/zJEmW7NM/"]Oussama Benbot[/a]. [/b][/p][p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/algeria/nc87N1BR/"]Algeria[/a] responded well after going behind as [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/belghali-rafik/v3TEsxcK/"]Rafik Belghali[/a] flashed a shot wide before [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/fares-chaibi/IusyCIkS/"]Fares Chaïbi[/a] rattled the post with a drilled effort from the edge of the box.[/p][p]The North African nation continued to probe and levelled on the verge of HT with one of the goals of the tournament so far. Belghali picked up the ball on the right, just outside the area, [b]drifted inside the box before rolling the ball past two Austrian defenders and smashing his shot into the roof of the net.[/b][/p][p]Austria boss Ralf Rangnick made a triple substitution ahead of the restart but it was two of his starters that combined for their second goal. [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/laimer-konrad/GlHWqQKJ/"]Konrad Laimer[/a] broke forward down the right flank [b]before picking out [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/sabitzer-marcel/8UkK3Y37/"]Marcel Sabitzer[/a] with an inch-perfect pullback to the edge of the box where the midfielder thumped the ball past Benbot.[/b][/p][image alt="Momentum" id="d5fe0d92-1e55-469a-8320-eeb0c825f2ad" credit-line="Opta by Stats Perform" guid="77c5352c-e5e3-4c46-8696-909bf3382a7f" original-width="1080" original-height="1080" /][p]Algeria very quickly drew level once more [b]when [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/aouar-houssem/E7gaowFp/"]Houssem Aouar[/a] showed great skill to dribble into the box and he picked out [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/mahrez-riyad/AkzHA2kB/"]Riyad Mahrez[/a] unmarked at the back post to fire home. [/b][/p][p]With the game level once again both sides seemed to ease off the gas and looked content to see out the remaining 30 minutes with little exertion.[/p][p]However, both sides netted in a breathless stoppage time. First, [b]Mahrez fired his Algeria ahead in the 93rd minute with a low finish past [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/schlager-alexander/l6a12jEC/"]Alexander Schlager[/a]. [/b][/p][p]However, just as it looked like Austria were going home, [b][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/kalajdzic-sasa/8Wq79aVu/"]Sasa Kalajdzic[/a] popped up to send the Austrian fans into ecstasy as he headed home with the very last touch. [/b][/p][p]A draw was perhaps not a surprise, but the circumstances on how they got there will be one to remember as both teams progress into the knockout stage, with Austria doing so in second place and Algeria as one of the top-eight third place teams.[/p][p]As a result, Rangnick’s men will face [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/spain/bLyo6mco/"]Spain[/a] in Los Angeles, while [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/petkovic-vladimir/8jGeMiqt/"]Vladimir Petkovic[/a]’s side will travel to Vancouver to meet [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/switzerland/rHJ2vy1B/"]Switzerland[/a].[/p][p][b]Flashscore Man of the Match: [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/mahrez-riyad/AkzHA2kB/"]Riyad Mahrez[/a] (Algeria)[/b][/p][p][b][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/soccer/algeria-nc87N1BR/austria-naHiWdnt/?mid=4rOtRK7l"]View the match stats on Flashscore.[/a][/b][/p]