Kansas City, June 28 (IANS) Algeria head coach Vladimir Petkovic hailed his side’s resilience after a 3-3 draw with Austria sent both teams through to the knockout stage of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, while also dismissing pre-match collusion speculation.

The draw also meant Iran finished ninth among all third-placed teams and was eliminated from the tournament.

“I think the match was a little crazy. It sort of went beyond the limits of everyone’s endurance. I think we did well to react twice. What we saw in the first half was the work of a great team, a team that has quality, a team that every day shows how good they are, ” Petkovic said at the post-match press conference as quoted by Xinhua.

Petkovic, who will now play against Switzerland, the team he coached for seven years until 2021, said he had not yet had time to process the reunion.

“I haven’t even had time to think about the next opponent after the intense game,” he said. “Now I found out who we’re going to be playing. Switzerland is a great team. The players are great. And I do know them, even if there are new faces and some of them played with me.”

Asked about the speculation that the two teams might collude for a mutually beneficial draw, Petkovic stressed that his side played to win.

“I’m extremely happy that in the end, it was football that prevailed,” he said. “3-2, 3-3, the score says it all. I think certain behaviors are quite natural. It happens in football. It’s part of football. But there was a great will to win.”

Petkovic confirmed that even after Algeria took the lead through Riyad Mahrez’s second goal in stoppage time, he never instructed his players to sit back.

“My idea is always to play in order to win. Today was not an exception,” he said. “It’s important to win. During the hydration break, I said to the players that we need to be really balanced. And I think that we were that up until the last minute.”

With the round of 32 now secured, Petkovic said his immediate priority was recovery and celebration before turning attention to Switzerland.

“I’d like to congratulate the entire squad and every single player. I’m really happy,” he said. “As I said to the players, let’s celebrate our promotion. Now let’s rest, and then we will begin again for the next round.”

Algeria will face Switzerland in Vancouver on July 2, while Austria takes on Spain in Los Angeles the same day.

–IANS

sds/