'32nd round? This is how teams advance.' Austria's '96th-minute dramatic goal' against Algeria ends in a 3-3 thriller, with both advancing... Iran, watching from the sidelines, is eliminated.

*This content was translated by AI.

Austria successfully advanced to the 32nd-round tournament thanks to an equalizing goal scored in stoppage time of the second half. Iran, watching this match, saw its path to the 32nd round blocked by this single goal and swallowed its tears.

Austria drew 3-3 with Algeria in the 2026 FIFA Group Stage J Group match 3, held at the stadium in Kansas City, Missouri, USA, on the 28th (Korea time).

It was a chaotic match. Austria took the lead with an opening goal by Arnautovic in the 28th minute of the first half, to which Algeria responded with an equalizer by Belkali in the 44th minute. In the second half, Austria extended its lead with a goal by Zabičar in the 10th minute, and five minutes later, Algeria chased back with a goal by Mares.

The match, which seemed destined to end in a draw, was shaken in stoppage time of the second half. In the 3rd minute of stoppage time, Algeria's Mares scored a go-ahead goal, overturning the result. Had the match ended there, Austria would have been eliminated and Iran from another group would have advanced to the 32nd round. However, three minutes later, in the 6th minute of stoppage time, Austria's 2-meter tall striker Kalajdzic scored a dramatic header equalizer, saving his team from crisis.

With this draw, both teams recorded one win, one draw, and one loss (4 points). Austria, which led in goal difference (0), secured second place in the group and advanced directly to the 32nd round, while Algeria secured sixth place among the 12 third-placed teams from each group, successfully advancing to the tournament.

The standings for the third-place groups at this time were shaken. Iran, which had recorded 3 points (goal difference 0), was pushed to ninth place, falling behind Senegal (third in Group I) at the final cutoff line for the 32nd round, and thus faced elimination. South Korea, which had already been confirmed for elimination (3 points, goal difference -1), finished the tournament in 10th place, following Iran.

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*This content was translated by AI.