Austria secured its first World Cup victory in 36 years with a hard-fought 3-1 win over debutants Jordan on Tuesday night.ย The decisive moment came in the 76th minute when a corner kick led to an own goal by Jordan defender Yazan Al Arab, putting Austria ahead 2-1. Veteran forward Marko Arnautovic then sealed the result with a penalty deep into stoppage time.
“It was a very intense match, perhaps even more intense than we expected,” Austria coach Ralf Rangnick said after the game.ย “Jordan played exceptionally well and made life difficult for us throughout. In the end, I believe we deserved the victory, but it certainly wasn’t easy.”
The Group J clash featured a Jordanian side making its World Cup debut and an Austrian team returning to football’s biggest stage after an absence spanning six tournaments. The contest delivered plenty of drama and momentum swings.ย The most eventful period came early in the second half, when Jordan equalized and Austria twice found the net from corner kicks, although one effort was eventually ruled out.
Arnautovic, 37, thought he had restored Austria’s lead after capitalizing on a mistake by Jordan goalkeeper Yazeed Abulaila. However, following a VAR review, the referee disallowed the goal for a handball by Stefan Posch during the buildup.ย Austria continued to press and soon earned another corner after the second-half hydration break. This time, the delivery resulted in Al Arab inadvertently turning the ball into his own net, handing Austria a crucial 2-1 advantage.
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The own goal ultimately proved decisive, giving Austria its first World Cup win since defeating the United States during the group stage of the 1990 tournament.ย Jordan, meanwhile, missed the chance to become the first nation since Senegal in 2002 to win its opening match at a World Cup. Senegal famously defeated defending champions France in that tournament.
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“No one expected us to play with such courage, initiative and confidence,” Jordan coach Jamal Sellami said.ย “That was exactly the message we wanted to send. We showed that we could compete and take advantage of the opportunities available to us.”
Austria had opened the scoring in the 20th minute through Romano Schmid, who finished off a flowing team move. Xaver Schlager supplied the final pass, and Schmid curled a superb right-footed effort from the edge of the penalty area into the top corner.
Jordan responded shortly after halftime. In the 50th minute, Ali Olwan launched a swift counterattack, surged into the box and beat Austrian goalkeeper Alexander Schlager with a clinical right-footed finish, sparking celebrations among the large group of Jordanian supporters in attendance.
Austria suffered a concern later in the match when defender Stefan Posch injured his jaw, leaving his availability for the next game uncertain.ย Jordan will return to Santa Clara next Monday to face Algeria, who were beaten 3-0 by Argentina in the opening Group J fixture. Austria, meanwhile, will take on Lionel Messi’s Argentina in the Dallas area on the same day.
