Rangnick and Petkovic reject collusion talk after 3-3 draw

Ralf Rangnick and Vladimir Petkovic both dismissed talk of a fixed result after Austria and Algeria drew 3-3 in a match that eliminated Iran from the World Cup.

Rangnick said he could not believe what happened in the final two minutes and called it one of the most dramatic games he had seen. He added that nobody would have predicted a 3-3 scoreline before kick-off, saying many expected a 0-0 or 1-1 draw instead.

The Austria coach also said no one could reasonably claim the match involved collusion between the two sides. He added that he felt sorry for Iran.

Petkovic said football had won and pointed to the 3-2 and then 3-3 scoreline as proof that both teams wanted victory.

He said there was a spell of around 15 minutes when both sides were a little passive, but insisted that was not planned. According to Petkovic, both teams wanted to assess the opposition and understand the game before looking to gain the upper hand.