Sasa Kalajdzic goal helps Austria advance to World Cup Round of 32 after drawing with Algeria

Sasa Kalajdzic saved his country Austria in the dying seconds with a clutch goal against Algeria during Matchday 3 of the 2026 FIFA World Cup on Saturday night.

Going into the matchup, Austria found itself in an intriguing spot. They had three points after one win and one loss, beating debutants Jordan 3-1 before losing 2-0 to Argentina.

Despite this, they found themselves at second place in the group standings behind Argentina. They were above Algeria due to having a better goal difference and didn’t have to worry about Jordan after already beating them.

All they needed was at least one more point to advance to the knockout rounds. That objective became tough with Algeria’s efforts to eliminate them with the offensive shootout both teams had with one another.

Riyad Mahrez’s two goals nearly pushed Algeria over Austria in the standings, especially his second during stoppage time. Fortunately for the Austrians, Kalajdzic wasn’t about to see his country suffer heartbreak as he delivered a thrilling header that had the ball go to the back of the net.

AUSTRIA SURVIVE!

SASA KALAJDZIC TIES THE GAME IN STOPPAGE TIME TO HELP THEM ADVANCE TO THE ROUND OF 32 pic.twitter.com/ySI1mN2PL9

— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) June 28, 2026

What’s next for Sasa Kalajdzic, Austria after Algeria draw

Sasa Kalajdzic became Austria’s player of the night after saving them from elimination. Not only that, but they also gave fans an incredible match against Algeria to conclude the group stage.

The Austrians made their return to the World Cup for the first time since 1998. They haven’t made a deep run in the tournament since the 1934 and 1954 editions, seeing this current campaign be their best in the modern era of soccer.

Austria ended the group stage with four points following one win, one draw and one loss. They finished at second place in Group J above Algeria and Jordan while trailing Argentina.

Austria will look forward to their journey in the knockout stage. They prepare for their Round of 32 clash against Spain on July 2 at 3 p.m. ET.

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