Algeria became part of this historic feat after euphoric match in Kansas City
Amid one of the most incredible finishes in World Cup history, Algeria added to a historic feat when they pulled a draw against Austria in Kansas City on Saturday night.
The 3-3 draw at Kansas City (Arrowhead) Stadium allowed both Algeria and Austria to qualify for the Round of 32.
Algeria was already part of African football history, as one of 10 nations from the continent to make the quadrennial tournament. It’s the most teams Africa has sent to the World Cup in the first year of the 48-team field.
With Saturday’s result, Algeria is one of nine African nations to make it into the knockout rounds.
That sets a new record for the most teams from Africa to get out of the group stage. The previous record was just two. This is also Algeria’s first time advancing out of the group stage since the nation last qualified in 2014.
Algerian striker Riyad Mahrez was taken aback when he was told about the record after the match.
“It’s incredible. It shows the quality of African football, which isn’t always considered good football, but it’s really good,” Mahrez said.
He scored two goals for the Desert Foxes, including a goal in the 93rd minute to give them a 3-2 lead that was dashed by Austria just three minutes later.
The pro-Algerian crowd reached the highest levels of cheering with Mahrez’s last goal. The Fennecs hoped for support from Algerians and local soccer fans as the darling of the city of Lawrence, where they are holding their base camp.
His comments also came after former Germany national team player and commentator Bastian Schweinsteiger has been criticized for calling African football “wild,” “unorthodox” and “perhaps not tactically driven” earlier this week.
“It’s difficult to play in Africa,” Mahrez said. “And when you see nine out of 10 teams advance to the next round in the biggest tournament, it shows a lot. And I am very happy to have many teams from our continent helping me.”
After the last hydration break of the match in the 71st minute, both teams held possession, appearing to be satisfied with a 2-2 draw. Any draw would have allowed both teams to advance, with Algeria being one of the top-8 third-place teams and eliminating Iran from the tournament.
Iran was the eighth-best third-place team entering the final match, anxiously needing either team to lose secure that spot.
It appeared Iran would go forward when Mahrez scored his late goal. But 6-7 striker Saša Kalajdžić scored with Austria’s last touch of the match, sending both teams through in dramatic fashion.
Much of the pregame hype was about Austria. They will face powerhouse Spain in the Round of 32 as the second-place winner in Group J. Algeria will play Switzerland on Thursday in Vancouver.
Both teams waved off concerns over playing a top side in Spain, saying they’d be ready to face any opponent. If Algeria can win their first two knockout matches, they could be playing in Kansas City for the quarterfinal, with a potential rematch against Argentina and Lionel Messi.
“Our goal was simply to qualify, though I think we did try to win the match,” fullback Rafik Belghali said through a translator.
Belghali scored Algeria’s first goal in the 45th minute.
“Spain is a strong team, but so is Switzerland,” he continued. “For us, it makes no difference. We’re ready to face anyone. It’s not over yet.”
