When injury time started on Kansas in a dream of sorts on Saturday night, both teams were more than happy to hit it off. The match itself had been exciting for the first hour before Austria and Algeria seemingly decided to tone down the intensity and take no chances. The result – a draw – suits both.
In Tijuana, Mexico, the 26 Iranian players and support staff would no doubt be huddled around a television, wanting a win for either team. The equation to get past Iran was simple. There had to be a winner. If it was a draw, Iran would have to go home.
For a period of time, it looked like Austria would win. Twice, they took the lead. Twice, Algeria had come from behind.
Before this Group J game got underway, the mind turned to the ‘Gijón shame’, a league stage encounter at the 1982 World Cup. West Germany and Austria played it safe knowing that a 1-0 to the former would see them both out at Algeria’s expense. Even 42 years later, allegations of collusion refuse to go away (which is why the finals within all groups start at the same time).
In the days leading up to the game in Kansas, some fans had already begun to expect the worst. “The shame of Kansas,” some began to call it. And for the vast majority of the final 30 minutes, it looked like there was an unwritten gentlemen’s agreement in play. You don’t try to score. We will not try to score.
Some sections in the crowd had begun to shout. The Algerian defenders were simply lobbing the ball between them, while the Austrians stopped moving.
Then, three minutes into injury time, Riyad Mahrez scored.
In the middle of the crowd there was an explosion among the Algerians. The shock happened when the camera showed the Austrian fans. Wait? What happened? Even the on-air commentators were trying to make sense of what they had just seen. A match that was heading towards a logical conclusion had just thrown a grenade.
Two minutes after the goal, the Austrians turned to Sasa Kalajdzic, the 28-year-old striker loaned to LASK. A centre-forward, Kalajdzic stands at over 6’6″. His introduction signaled only one thing. The Europeans would throw him into the mix hoping for a positive response with a minute or so remaining.
A cross from the left wing sailed over the six-yard box, eluded the defender, but Michael Gregoritsch had gambled and he was waiting at the back post. His header was spicy and the onrushing Kalajdzic headed it home to spark delirious scenes everywhere you looked. The Austrian fans, some of whom had lost hope just minutes before, embraced life again. There were limbs everywhere on the field. The players ran in all directions not knowing what they were doing; usually a good indicator of insanity on a sports field.
It was one of the wildest group stage finishes of any World Cup until the identity of one of the main protagonists of the final act: Kalajdzic. He had suffered three anterior cruciate ligament injuries between July 2019 and February 2024. His latest ACL injury was so severe that he missed all of football for over 425 days from February 2024 to April 2025. On Saturday night at the Kansas City Thunder, he finally had a moment to remember.
In Tijuana, it would be a moment to forget for the Iranian team.
