Austria marked their long-awaited return to the World Cup with a 3-1 victory over Jordan, who were making their tournament debut. The match showcased the impact of substitute Marko Arnautovic, who played a pivotal role in securing the win during a thrilling Group J encounter.
On a chilly evening in the San Francisco Bay Area, Austria took the lead in the 21st minute thanks to a stunning strike from Romano Schmid. However, Jordan responded impressively after halftime, leveling the score with an exceptional shot from Ali Olwan that hit the post.
The halftime substitution of Arnautovic proved crucial for Austria. The 37-year-old forward had a goal disallowed in the 69th minute before he forced defender Yazan Al-Arab into an own goal just seven minutes later. He capped off his performance by converting a penalty deep into stoppage time.
“We knew that this was going to be a difficult match… there were situations where we did a good job, there were phases where we underperformed,”
said Austria midfielder Konrad Laimer. He emphasized the importance of team mentality, stating, “What’s important is the mentality of the entire team – we never gave up, we kept going until the end and finally we came out on top.”
Jordan displayed strong defending and was dangerous on counterattacks, with the speed of forwards Olwan and Musa al-Taamari consistently posing a threat to the Austrians, who were participating in their first World Cup in 28 years.
The match began with high intensity, as Jordan nearly struck early with a counterattack that saw captain Ehsan Haddad send a shot just wide of the post.
Austrians quickly settled into the match, and after a series of attacks led by Marcel Sabitzer, they found the breakthrough when Schmid’s remarkable effort found the top corner from outside the penalty area.
Jordan pressed back, and within five minutes of the second half, Olwan equalized with a powerful run down the left flank, finishing with a brilliant shot off the far post.
Austria believed they had regained the lead when Arnautovic found the net, but the goal was disallowed following a VAR review that detected a handball by Stefan Posch.
The decisive moment came when Sabitzer’s corner resulted in an own goal by Al-Arab, followed by Arnautovic’s penalty, which sealed the match for Austria 12 minutes into stoppage time.
“We didn’t deserve to lose in our first-ever World Cup appearance – a historic participation for us,”
remarked Jordan’s Olwan. He added, “We still have two matches ahead, and based on what I saw from our team today, we are capable of qualifying.”
