Austria head coach Ralf Rangnick has dismissed allegations of a prearranged result between his team and Algeria following their thrilling 3-3 draw that saw both sides qualify for the World Cup round of 16.
The German tactician pointed to the two goals scored in quick succession during injury time as clear proof: Algeria captain Riyad Mahrez thought he had secured a 3-2 win in the 93rd minute, only for Austria substitute Sasa Kalajdzic to equalise on virtually the last action of the match.
“In this match, with a 3-3 scoreline, no one could assume there was any agreement, especially given what we saw in the final 90 seconds,” Rangnick said.
“With three minutes left, if anyone had predicted what would happen, they would have been called crazy,” he added.
“I have been a coach for about forty years, and I cannot recall a match with such a spectacular and unpredictable turn of events.”
“Most people expected a 0-0 or 1-1, and in the end it was 3-3. It’s incredible. The dressing room was wild. If Alfred Hitchcock had written such a script, I would probably have said he was completely insane.”
Rangnick also emphasised that both teams kept playing and trying to score even before Mahrez’s goal.
“Anyone who watched the last 15 minutes knows there was no indication that the players were desperately seeking a draw,” he declared. “I think they wanted to win.”
“No one can tell me that in the 93rd minute someone suddenly thought, ‘Oh yes, let’s score another goal.’ I think that might have been the idea of one or two Algerian players, but I believe it was not the case for the rest of the team, and certainly not for me.”
