Austria beat Jordan 3-1 on World Cup return

WASHINGTON: Austria marked their first World Cup appearance in 28 years with a 3-1 victory over tournament debutants Jordan in a Group J match on Tuesday, with substitute Marko Arnautovic playing a decisive role after coming on at halftime.

Austria took the lead in the 21st minute when Romano Schmid struck from outside the penalty area to find the top corner. Jordan, who were making their first appearance at the World Cup, responded strongly after the break and equalised five minutes into the second half through Ali Olwan, who drove down the left and scored with a shot that went in off the far post.

The match was played at a high tempo in the San Francisco Bay Area on a brisk night, with Jordan defending firmly and posing a threat on the counterattack through Olwan and Mousa Al-Tamari. Jordan had created an early opening two minutes into the game when captain Ehsan Haddad fired low into the side netting after a quick break.

Austria then settled into the contest, with Marcel Sabitzer heavily involved in a series of attacks before Schmid's opener broke the deadlock. Jordan continued to press and drew level early in the second half, setting up a tense closing phase.

Arnautovic's introduction changed the game for Austria. The 37-year-old had the ball in the net in the 69th minute, but the goal was disallowed after a VAR review found a handball by Stefan Posch in the build-up. Austria went ahead again in the 76th minute when Sabitzer's corner went in off defender Yazan Al Arab for an own goal.

Austria sealed the result deep into stoppage time when Arnautovic converted a penalty 12 minutes after the end of normal time. His pressure had also contributed to the own goal that restored Austria's lead.

Austria midfielder Konrad Laimer said the team had expected a difficult match against Jordan. “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,” he added. “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 forward Ali Olwan said his side had deserved more from the game despite the defeat. “We didn’t deserve to lose in our first-ever World Cup appearance — a historic participation for us,” Jordan’s Olwan said. “We still have two matches ahead, and based on what I saw from our team today, we are capable of qualifying.”