In a rain of late twists and dramatic moments that had fans on the edge of their seats, Austria has secured its first FIFA World Cup win in 36 years, defeating first-time tournament qualifier Jordan 3-1 in a tense Group J clash held in Santa Clara, California on Wednesday.
The match got off to a fast start, with Austria dominating possession in the opening 20 minutes. The European side broke the deadlock with a clinical finish from Romano Schmid, who capped off a smooth, well-orchestrated attacking sequence by slotting a perfectly placed shot into the top corner of Jordan’s net, leaving goalkeeper Yazeed Abulaila with no chance to save.
The second half brought a complete shift in momentum. Just five minutes after halftime, Jordan leveled the score through a blistering counterattack finished by Ali Olwan, who outpaced Austria’s backline and slid the ball past goalkeeper Alexander Schlager. The large contingent of Jordanian supporters packed into the stadium erupted into wild celebrations, as the debutant side proved they could compete with their more experienced opponents.
Austria thought they had retaken the lead in the 69th minute, when veteran striker Marko Arnautovic pounced on a mistake from Abulaila to tap the ball into an empty net. However, a video assistant referee (VAR) review overturned the goal after officials spotted a handball by Austria’s Stefan Posch in the build-up to the chance. Posch would later leave the match with a fractured jaw, leaving his availability for upcoming group stage matches uncertain.
The decisive break finally came for Austria shortly after the second hydration break. A corner from Marcel Sabitzer took an unlucky deflection off Jordanian defender Yazan Al Arab, wrongfooting Abulaila and rolling into the back of the net for an own goal that put Austria back in front. Deep into 12 minutes of stoppage time, Austria won a penalty after Saleem Obeid handled the ball in the box. Arnautovic stepped up coolly to convert the spot kick, setting the final score at 3-1.
Speaking after the match, Austria manager Ralf Rangnick described the contest as a “very intense evening” and praised Jordan’s resilient performance. “They made it extremely difficult for us, but we did enough to deserve the win,” Rangnick said. For Austria, the result marks a historic milestone: the side had not claimed a World Cup win since beating the United States in the 1990 group stage, and had missed out on qualification for the tournament for the previous 28 years.
Despite the loss, Jordan and manager Jamal Sellami had plenty to be proud of, as the World Cup newcomer pushed one of Europe’s solid mid-tier teams all the way to the final whistle. “Nobody expected us to play with this much courage and aggression going forward,” Sellami said. “That was exactly the message we wanted to send to the world.”
Both teams return to action next Monday. Jordan will face Algeria back in Santa Clara, while Austria will take on tournament favorites Argentina, led by superstar Lionel Messi, in the Dallas area. Wednesday’s result puts Austria in a strong position to advance out of the group, while Jordan’s impressive performance has already marked them as one of the tournament’s most surprising debutants in recent memory.