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KANSAS CITY, MO — A place in the round of 32 is up for grabs on Saturday, June 27 in Kansas City as Austria and Algeria face off in the final match of Group J action.
Both teams sit at three points after each defeated Jordan and lost to Argentina.
With a win or a tie, Austria will advance to the next round by finishing in second place. Algeria would also advance with a win or a tie, as it would be among the top third-place teams with a draw.
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That brings up a scenario where both teams could settle for a draw and advance to the next round. The question was posed to both head coaches in press conference previewing the match.
“If we get a draw tomorrow, we’ll go on. We cannot play for a draw,” Austria coach Ralf Rangnick said. “We are not sending the team into the game playing for a draw."
“I think we need to concentrate on ourselves,” Algeria head coach Vladimir Petković said. “We shouldn’t play not to lose and play to win.”
Depending on other results, an Austrian or Algerian loss could see them out of the tournament based upon goal differential.
In the World Cup, games are played to be won. That’s the consensus for both coaches. Both teams suffered losses to Argentina, but the defeat did not waver the confidence of Algeria.
“This match is coming at the right time and I think we’ve played two pretty good games,” Petković said. “I see the glass half full not half empty. I think my squad played two good matches. Messi was there and he performed immensely.”
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This is the first match between the two countries since 1982, when the "Disgrace of Gijon" occurred. Algeria defeated West Germany and Chile during this group stage along with a defeat to Austria.
On the final day, West Germany and Austria knew the result needed to advance to the next stage because Algeria’s final game occurred the previous day. West Germany needed a win by one or two goals to help both teams advance on goal differential, sending Algeria out of the tournament.
After West Germany’s opening goal in the 10th minute, both teams played to an extremely underwhelming match with little chances created at all.
As a result, FIFA would change the rules for future tournaments to ensure final games in each group would be played simultaneously.
“When the match took place, no [players from] the two teams were alive,” Rangnick said. “I was 24 years old back then and I just started as a player. It has nothing to do with tomorrow’s match. I don’t think it will influence the match tomorrow inside the stadium.”
On social media, some have even coined this fixture the "Disgrace of Kansas City."
Both teams have ambitions to go far in the knockouts. It would be surprising for both squads to settle for a tie without trying to play for the win. As shown in the press conferences, it’s not in the DNA of the coaches. It’s certainly not in the DNA of the players.
“They have some very good players and the whole team has a lot of quality,” Austria’s Konrad Laimer said. “We concentrate on ourselves and play our best match. In the end, we just want to go on.”
Liam Keating covers the World Cup in Kansas City for USA TODAY. He also covers high school sports and Washburn University for The Topeka Capital-Journal. Send stats or information to him at [email protected]
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Austria vs Algeria hoping to avoid 'Disgrace of Kansas City' in 2026 World Cup
Continue reading...
Both teams sit at three points after each defeated Jordan and lost to Argentina.
With a win or a tie, Austria will advance to the next round by finishing in second place. Algeria would also advance with a win or a tie, as it would be among the top third-place teams with a draw.
World Cup: Netherlands ready for Morocco in World Cup round of 32: 'It’s game on'
That brings up a scenario where both teams could settle for a draw and advance to the next round. The question was posed to both head coaches in press conference previewing the match.
“If we get a draw tomorrow, we’ll go on. We cannot play for a draw,” Austria coach Ralf Rangnick said. “We are not sending the team into the game playing for a draw."
“I think we need to concentrate on ourselves,” Algeria head coach Vladimir Petković said. “We shouldn’t play not to lose and play to win.”
Depending on other results, an Austrian or Algerian loss could see them out of the tournament based upon goal differential.
In the World Cup, games are played to be won. That’s the consensus for both coaches. Both teams suffered losses to Argentina, but the defeat did not waver the confidence of Algeria.
“This match is coming at the right time and I think we’ve played two pretty good games,” Petković said. “I see the glass half full not half empty. I think my squad played two good matches. Messi was there and he performed immensely.”
World Cup: Why Kansas City is 'the heart of soccer'
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This is the first match between the two countries since 1982, when the "Disgrace of Gijon" occurred. Algeria defeated West Germany and Chile during this group stage along with a defeat to Austria.
On the final day, West Germany and Austria knew the result needed to advance to the next stage because Algeria’s final game occurred the previous day. West Germany needed a win by one or two goals to help both teams advance on goal differential, sending Algeria out of the tournament.
After West Germany’s opening goal in the 10th minute, both teams played to an extremely underwhelming match with little chances created at all.
As a result, FIFA would change the rules for future tournaments to ensure final games in each group would be played simultaneously.
“When the match took place, no [players from] the two teams were alive,” Rangnick said. “I was 24 years old back then and I just started as a player. It has nothing to do with tomorrow’s match. I don’t think it will influence the match tomorrow inside the stadium.”
On social media, some have even coined this fixture the "Disgrace of Kansas City."
Both teams have ambitions to go far in the knockouts. It would be surprising for both squads to settle for a tie without trying to play for the win. As shown in the press conferences, it’s not in the DNA of the coaches. It’s certainly not in the DNA of the players.
“They have some very good players and the whole team has a lot of quality,” Austria’s Konrad Laimer said. “We concentrate on ourselves and play our best match. In the end, we just want to go on.”
Liam Keating covers the World Cup in Kansas City for USA TODAY. He also covers high school sports and Washburn University for The Topeka Capital-Journal. Send stats or information to him at [email protected]
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Austria vs Algeria hoping to avoid 'Disgrace of Kansas City' in 2026 World Cup
Continue reading...
