World Cup Madness: 110 Passes, Mahrez's Goal, Austria vs Algeria Unleashed Drama
A breathless World Cup Group J match ended in a 3-3 draw between Austria and Algeria, featuring 110 consecutive passes before Riyad Mahrez's goal and a shock equalizer from Sasa Kalajdzic — sending Iran out of the tournament.
The entire football world was buzzing after a strange match between Austria and Algeria for Group J of the FIFA World Cup 2026. Both teams knew the draw was enough to advance to the knockout stage, but the pace of the game was anything but typical — it was filled with a shoulder to shoulder of goals, protracted passing sequences and drama until the end.
Austria took the lead first, courtesy of Marko Arnautovic, but Algeria immediately hit back through Rafik Belghali. Entering the second half, Austria again led by Marcel Sabitzer. Riyad Mahrez was quick to score his first World Cup finals goal at the age of 35, leveling the score at 2-2 after a quick reply from Algeria.
From here, the two sides seemed to wait for the signal of a draw — but the game exploded in the last minute. In the 87th minute, Algeria began an extraordinary 110 passes through their defense and midfield — boring to watch for some fans, but it opened up an opportunity. Minutes before the end, Fares Chaibi provided a direct pass to Houssem Aouar, who pushed the ball towards Mahrez for an explosive finish that was believed to bring 'Gijon revenge' for Algeria.
<figure style="margin:2rem 0;overflow:hidden;border:1px solid #e2e2e2;background:#f9f9f9"><img src="https://static01.nyt.com/athletic/uploads/wp/2026/06/28083738/GettyImages-2283651759-scaled-e1782650301390-1024x682.jpg?width=1920&quality=70&auto=webp" alt="Image" style="width:100%;height:auto;object-fit:contain" loading="lazy" /></figure>But the show isn't over yet. Austria, now on the brink of relegation, and Iran hoping for survival, sprung a surprise — Sasa Kalajdzic came on as a substitute, and following a long ball from the back, a header was converted from Michael Gregoritsch for a 3-3 equalizer. Austria moved up to second place again and Algeria lost again. In the end, Iran was eliminated from the tournament altogether.
After the game, Austria coach Ralf Rangnick admitted that at the same time the teams seemed content with the draw, but several Algerian players chose to try to score in extra time — and it turned out to be bad luck for Iran. It seems that the saying that there is no boring draw in the World Cup really doesn't lie, especially when the final stage was this chaotic.
As a result, Austria will go to the round of 32 against Spain, Algeria against Switzerland, and Iran will go home again. Another match that will add to the history of the strangest moments of the World Cup.
