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Winning the game only tightens the noose of elimination.
Winning tightens the noose of elimination even further.
At Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California, the scoreboard read 2-1. The Algerians had barely swallowed their quick-acting heart medicine when they were faced with a stomach-churning arithmetic problem. After the second round of Group J, they and Austria both had 3 points. Austria had a goal difference of 0, while Algeria was at -2.
The final round would be a do-or-die clash with Austria.
The shame of Gijón 44 years ago haunted the locker room like a ghost. In 1982, West Germany and Austria played a 1-0 collusion match, conspiring to eliminate Algeria. Now, they had to settle old scores with the Austrians again.
This comeback was supposed to be manager Petkovic's lifeline.
After a humiliating 3-0 loss to Argentina in the opener, with star striker Amoura ruled out due to injury, the starting XI against Jordan—a team experiencing World Cup grass for the first time—played like they were sleepwalking in the first half, with the midfield completely disjointed. In the 36th minute, Jordanian forward Rashdan scored a rebound goal.
0-1 down. In the locker room at halftime, Petkovic likely smashed the tactics board in frustration.
In the second half, Algeria's tactics board was torn up completely, degenerating into a game of head-balling from corner kicks. In the 69th minute, Mahrez took a corner, and substitute Benbouali headed the ball into the net. In the 82nd minute, another substitute, Hadj Moussa, crossed, and Jordan's defense cleared poorly, allowing Gouiri to poke in the winner from a scramble.
Both goals were brute-forced in from the corner flag area. Petkovic managed to save his job with those two substitutions, claiming afterward that he "would defend the team's performance." He kept his position, but all dignity was lost.
Jordan, on the other hand, received a harsh lesson in World Cup cruelty.
Rashdan's goal had given them a 46-minute lead. But when their physical limit hit, the debutants' flaws were exposed. In the final 20 minutes, Jordan's players lost both mental and physical steam, and their defense was shattered by two set pieces.
Two losses, bottom of the group. Jordan's World Cup journey is over.
On the Algerian side, MVP Ibrahim Maza was tight-lipped in the mixed zone, only saying that the team had "improved confidence" before the crucial game.
After 2014, the Algerians finally tasted victory again in the World Cup finals.
But these 3 points only delayed the execution date by a few days. Argentina in Group J will likely take one of the qualification spots, leaving the remaining spot to be decided by goal difference.
-2 vs 0.
44 years later, Algeria's hope for advancing still depends on Austria's mood. The ghost of Gijón hasn't left.