Kalajdžić's 96th-minute strike sends Austria through

A 3–3 thriller, and you're through

Austria are into the Round of 32. Your team drew 3–3 with Algeria on Saturday night in a group finale that swung wildly until the last second (1) (11). Marko Arnautović opened the scoring, Marcel Sabitzer made it 2–1, and Austria looked in control (4) (5). Riyad Mahrez leveled at 2–2 for Algeria, then Ramy Bensebaïni put Algeria 3–2 up deep into stoppage time (3) (10). Iran, watching from the other group match, were going through on goal difference. Then Saša Kalajdžić struck in the 96th minute to make it 3–3 and drag Austria back into the knockout spots (7) (8) (14). Austria advance as group runners-up (4) (6).

The chaos, minute by minute

At 2–2, everything was settled. Both teams sat on four points and were heading through together (1) (8). Then stoppage time tore the script up. Bensebaïni scored for Algeria and suddenly Austria were out, Iran had the edge on goal difference (7) (12). Two minutes later, Kalajdžić equalized, and Austria were back in (14) (16). Marca called it the cruelest ending to Iran's World Cup and the most incredible finish to decide a rival (12) (14).

What it means

Austria finish second in the group behind Argentina and now head to the Round of 32 (5) (11). The knockout bracket is set, with all 16 ties confirmed after Saturday's matches (5). David Alaba and Konrad Laimer anchored a side that refused to fold when the moment demanded it (2) (10). Rangnick's group took the blow and punched back.

Fan reactions

The match thread was a ride. r/soccer lit up at every goal, Arnautović's opener had fans calling it typical Austria grit, Sabitzer's strike got the upvote treatment, and Mahrez's equalizer shifted the mood hard. By the time Kalajdžić scored in the 96th minute, the thread turned into pure disbelief. The dominant talking point: Austria went from eliminated at 94 minutes to through at 96 minutes, and nobody could quite process it. Read the full chaos on r/soccer.