Spain’s 1-0 win over Uruguay has put a damper on a couple of teams’ World Cup plans. The victory gave Spain the Group H title, meaning it will play the winner of the final group stage match between Austria and Algeria on Saturday night.
Why Winning Might Not Be the Best Option
Spain is a soccer powerhouse, ranking as the third-best FIFA program in the world, and it would be a heavy favorite over both Austria (22nd) and Algeria (29th). This is why both teams might actually benefit from not winning Saturday night. For Algeria, a tie is easily its best-case scenario, as it would clinch a spot in the knockout round as a third-place finisher in Group J and face either Belgium, Switzerland, England, or Ghana.
Austria’s situation is a bit different, as a loss does not totally kill it. However, since a win or tie means facing Spain, it might just be hoping for a loss and advancing through tiebreakers. At the time of publishing, Austria has a 38% chance of advancing with a loss, which would go to 65% with a Ghana victory and 72% with an Uzbekistan win or draw against D.R. Congo.
Original reporting: Fox News (HLL/CB) — read the source article.
