Key events34m agoPreambleSam LewisWe’ve already seen some extraordinary results on the final match day, giving a delightful shape and some tasty match-ups to the round of 32.South Africa shocked South Korea 1-0 to finish second in Group A on four points and will face Canada in Los Angeles.Ecuador’s brilliant 2-1 win over Germany secured their spot as Group E’s third-placed team, with their next round opponent still to be decided.Japan’s surprising 1-1 draw with Sweden saw them top their group, though it has put them on a collision-course with Brazil in the first knock-out stage.Paraguay’s gritty 1-0 win over Turkey followed by their 0-0 draw against Australia helped them qualify in third place in Group D, where they’ll now face Germany in Foxborough in two days’ time.But there was perhaps no better final-day story than Cape Verde’s 0-0 draw against Saudi Arabia yesterday. Having bagged three points from three impressive draws in the group stage, the World Cup’s smallest nation finished second in their group after Spain defeated Uruguay 1-0, qualifying them for the round of 32 on their tournament debut.Unfortunately they’ll be meeting Argentina in Miami on July 3, though I’m sure they’ll just be happy to be there no matter the result.Sam LewisHow does Group J look going into this final match day?Unsurprisingly, World Cup holders Argentina enter their last game in first spot with two wins from their opening two games (6 points).Behind them is Austria (3 points), who sit ahead of Algeria (3 points) only on a goal difference of 2. Jordan, meanwhile, have already been eliminated after losing both of their opening matches (0 points).As things stand, a draw between Algeria and Austria will see both teams through to the round of 32. The stakes are highest for Algeria, who currently sit just one spot outside the eight best third-placed teams. One more point will shoot them up into the top six of those teams.If Algeria defeat Austria, however, the latter will suddenly find themselves in that third-placed race where, depending on how many goals they lose by, they can either scrape through or get knocked out.But there is another question: will either of these teams actually want to finish second? While a third-placed finish could result in a round of 32 match against a patchy Belgium or Switzerland, the runner-up from Group J will have to play Spain in the next stage.Might Austria try to wriggle out of second spot by deliberately losing to Algeria in order to avoid European Championship holders? Will Algeria grit their teeth and grind out a draw to force Austria into Spain’s path? Or will the history between them eclipse all of that and result in one of the most memorable matches of this World Cup?PreambleSam LewisHello and welcome to the last game of an action-packed final day of the World Cup group stage, which sees Algeria take on Austria. Kick-off for today’s match at Kansas City Stadium will be 9:00pm local time (10pm EDT/3am BST/12pm AEST).Ever since the World Cup draw was conducted last December, fans of niche football history circled today’s clash between Algeria and Austria.Why? Because 44 years ago, a World Cup game between these two nations resulted in a rule that would fundamentally shape the future of the sport, including one that affects this very match.