Austria coach denies collusion claims after dramatic 3-3 draw with Algeria

Ralf Rangnick, the Austria national team manager, dismissed any suggestion of a pre-arranged result between his side and Algeria following their thrilling 3-3 draw in the final group stage match of the World Cup. The result sent both teams through to the round of 16.

The German coach pointed to the two stoppage-time goals as clear evidence that no deal existed. Algeria captain Riyad Mahrez scored in the 93rd minute, seemingly securing a 3-2 victory for his team, only for Austrian substitute Sasa Kalajdzic to equalise on the very last play of the match.

“In this match, when you have a score of 3-3, no one can assume it was an agreement, especially considering what we witnessed in the final 90 seconds,” Rangnick said.

“Three minutes from the end, if anyone had predicted what would happen, they would have been considered crazy,” he added.

“I have been a coach for about forty years and I cannot recall a match with such a spectacular turn of events and such an unexpected trajectory.”

“Most people expected a 0-0 or a 1-1, and in the end it was 3-3. It is incredible. There is madness in the dressing rooms. If Alfred Hitchcock had written such a script, I would probably have said he was completely insane.”

Rangnick also stressed that both teams continued to attack and try to score even before Mahrez’s goal.

“Anyone who watched the match during the last 15 minutes knows very well that there was no sign 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 maybe one or two Algerian players had that idea, but I believe that was not the case for the rest of the team, and certainly not for me.”