Jordan lose to Austria – but World Cup debutants showed they can hold their own
It looked like it might be the dream World Cup debut for Jordan, but their resistance was finally broken by a 76th-minute own goal for Yazan Al Arab and a late Marko Arnautovic penalty that sealed a 3-1 win for Austria.
In a lively atmosphere at San Francisco Bay Area Stadium (AKA Levi’s Stadium), Austria took the lead through a curling effort from distance by Romano Schmid in the 21st minute — the 10th goal from outside the box at this tournament, only two fewer than there were in all of Qatar 2022.
But Jordan pushed and were rewarded with their first goal in competition history in the 50th minute, as Ali Olwan cut onto his right and finished in off the post in style.
Veteran substitute Arnautovic appeared to have restored Austria’s lead in the 67th minute from a goalmouth scramble, but that was ruled out as Stefan Posch handled in the area. It did not stop Ralf Rangnick’s side for long, and they eventually found their second through Al Arab’s unfortunate deflection from a corner.
And there was still time for Arnautovic to grab his goal, as he slotted home from the penalty spot late in the 12th minute of stoppage time following a Salim Obaid handball from the Austrian forward’s cross.
Here, Charlotte Harpur analyses the key talking points.
How did this attract so many fans?
On paper, Jordan vs Austria, World Cup debutants against the No 21-ranked side, was not the most tantalising fixture of the group stage.
It would be understandable if you thought this 69,000-capacity stadium, on a Tuesday night, in a region that had shown a lukewarm approach to this World Cup, would struggle to sell out.
San Francisco Bay Area Stadium was packed for the game between Austria and Jordan (Lachlan Cunningham – FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images)
But that was not the case at all. Every one of the four tiers of this majestic ground, the highest so high and steep that some fans were covered in darkness as the floodlights didn’t reach them, was packed. There was certainly a party atmosphere among the 68,527 supporters in attendance — 300 shy of capacity — in Santa Clara.
The Jordanian fans in their white shirts stood proud, celebrating their country’s first World Cup appearance at one end, while the red wall of the Austrians bore down on them from the other.
Fans, born in those countries but who now reside in the United States, had travelled from New York, Hawaii and Ohio, while Mexico and Senegal shirts were spotted in the crowd, too. The States has never been a traditional soccer-loving country, but Tuesday’s turnout provided more evidence there is a committed and passionate fanbase there.
How did Jordan do on their World Cup debut?
Olwan will go down in Jordan’s history as the country’s first-ever goalscorer at a World Cup.
The 26-year-old, who plays for Qatari side Al Sailiya, saw the pitch open up in front of him. He glided down the left wing in acres of space as the Austrian defence retreated. No one closed him down and so he took his chance, cut inside on his right foot and sumptuously curled the ball into the far corner. Austria’s goalkeeper Alexander Schlager was rooted to the spot as he watched the ball whip past him and Levi’s Stadium erupted.
Olwan, who scored a phenomenal hat-trick in a 3-0 win against Oman to seal Jordan’s qualification for the World Cup, held up a No 11 shirt as a tribute to team-mate Yazan Al-Naimat. Usually the spearhead of Jordan’s attack, Al-Naimat suffered an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury in December which ruled him out of this tournament.
Ali Olwan holds up the No 11 shirt (Richard Heathcote/Getty Images)
It was just reward for Jordan’s relentless work rate. They toiled and tested Austria, but Rangnick’s side stuck to their process and remained disciplined, forcing Jordan into their own errors.
There were few expectations for Jordan, given they were facing a side ranked 46 places higher than them. But if this World Cup has taught us anything, it is that debutants such as them and Cape Verde should not be messed with.
Jordan, who will face Algeria and Argentina in their remaining Group J matches, desperately needed a point to stand a chance of qualifying as one of the best third-place sides. They registered the same number of shots and efforts on target as Austria but Rangnick’s side, who reached the round of 16 at the 2024 European Championship, created better chances and showed the clear value of tournament experience and know-how.
Arnautovic achieves a dream
There are not many boxes left to tick for Arnautovic to tick, but scoring in the World Cup had eluded the 37-year-old — until now.
The forward, who made his international debut as a teenager in 2008, came on in the second half and instantly made his mark. He thought he had added to his all-time goalscoring record for Austria when he punished Jordan goalkeeper Yazeed Abulaila for his failed punched clearance but the goal was ruled out for handball.
Arnautovic persisted, showing all the scrapping and fighting spirit he is known for. He was instrumental in Austria’s second, rising high to head the ball which ultimately put Al Arab under pressure from the corner, and his cross forced the penalty which he clinically dispatched, rounding off Austria’s win.
They owe plenty to Arnautovic, their all-time record appearance maker and scorer. He scored eight goals during qualifying, with only Norway’s Erling Haaland getting more for a European nation, and could be pivotal to their progress in this tournament.