Austria Return to World Cup With 3-1 Win Over Jordan
Photo: REUTERS
Austria marked their return to the FIFA World Cup after a 28-year hiatus with a decisive 3-1 victory against Jordan.
The match at the San Francisco Bay Area Stadium saw the European side overcome a resilient performance from the tournament debutants.
Jordan opened the game with high energy, nearly taking a lead in the second minute when captain Ehsan Haddad hit the side-netting. Fifteen minutes later, Austria goalkeeper Alexander Schlager tipped a long-range strike from Odeh Fakhouri over the bar to keep the score level.
Austria took control in the 20th minute when Romano Schmid fired an unstoppable shot from the edge of the box into the net.
However, Jordan fought back early in the second half. Ali Olwan etched his name into the record books as the first Jordanian to score at a World Cup, finishing a solo run with a precise strike after a pass from Noor Al Rawabdeh.
The match saw further drama in the 67th minute when a VAR on-field review intervened to disallow a Marko Arnautovic goal due to a handball by Stefan Posch during the build-up. Austria did not have to wait long to regain the lead, as Jordan defender Yazan Al Arab accidentally headed the ball into his own goal shortly afterwards.
Deep into injury time, Arnautovic confirmed the victory for Austria. The veteran striker rifled in a penalty in the 12th minute of added time to ensure his team left the pitch with a hard-fought win.
