Santa Clara, Jun 17 (V7N) – Jordan’s maiden FIFA World Cup campaign continued with a hard-fought 3-1 defeat against Austria in their Group J encounter at the San Francisco Bay Stadium in Santa Clara, USA, on Wednesday.
Despite a spirited second-half comeback, the debutants were undone by an own goal and a stoppage-time penalty as Austria secured all three points.
Austria took the lead in the 20th minute when Romano Schmidt curled in a superb effort from distance, giving Jordan an early setback in the tightly contested match.
Jordan responded strongly after the break and restored parity in the 50th minute. Ali Alwan produced a brilliant long-range strike to level the score and inject momentum into the debutants’ performance.
However, the turning point came in the 76th minute when Jordan defender Yazan Al-Arab turned a corner into his own net, handing Austria a crucial advantage.
Austria thought they had extended their lead earlier when substitute Marko Arnautović found the net, but the goal was ruled out for handball.
The Austrian forward made no mistake in stoppage time, converting from the penalty spot to seal the 3-1 victory.
Despite the result, Jordan showed impressive competitiveness throughout the match. Austria dominated possession with 63 percent, but the overall statistics reflected a closely fought contest.
Both sides registered 11 shots each and four shots on target. Jordan even led in several attacking metrics, including seven shots from inside the box compared to Austria’s six.
The Asian side also impressed in individual battles, completing 15 successful dribbles compared to Austria’s three, and edging the duel count 48–43.
While the scoreline favored Austria, Jordan’s performance in their World Cup debut earned praise for its intensity and attacking intent, suggesting a promising future on the global stage despite the defeat.
END/SMA/AJ
