Austria 3-1 Jordan: Marko Arnautovic late drama seals winning World Cup return
Austria survived a major second-half scare from debutants Jordan to secure a 3-1 win in their World Cup Group J opener thanks to a late own goal and Marko Arnautovic penalty.
Austria marked their long-awaited return to the global stage after a 28-year absence with a dramatic, hard-fought 3-1 victory over tournament debutants Jordan in Santa Clara.
Ralf Rangnick’s side were given a severe examination by an enterprising and courageous Jordanian outfit, who grabbed an historic equalizer early in the second half. However, a late defensive misfortune and a stoppage-time penalty from veteran forward Marko Arnautovic eventually ensured all three points went the way of the European side.
The opening exchanges at Levi’s Stadium belonged to a confident Jordan side, with captain Ehsan Haddad hitting the side-netting inside two minutes before Odeh Fakhouri saw a stinging long-range drive tipped over by Alexander Schlager.
Yet it was Austria who broke the deadlock with a moment of supreme quality on 20 minutes. Orchestrating a patient spell of possession through midfield, Xaver Schlager slid a crisp pass to Romano Schmid on the edge of the area. The Werder Bremen midfielder didn’t hesitate, unleashing a magnificent, curling strike that flew past Yazeed Abulaila into the top corner.
Undeterred by the setback, Jordan pushed forward with real intent and reaped their reward five minutes into the second half. Capitalizing on an exquisite pass from Noor Al Rawabdeh, Ali Olwan carried the ball forward, effortlessly skipped inside Stefan Posch, and placed an inch-perfect shot off the inside of the post to spark wild celebrations with Jordan’s historic first-ever World Cup goal.
The game then descended into a dramatic stretch dominated by the Video Assistant Referee. Substitute Arnautovic looked to have instantly restored Austria’s advantage from a goalmouth scramble following a corner, but after an extensive on-field monitor review, referee Alireza Faghani ruled the goal out for a handball by Posch in the build-up.
Austria’s relentless set-piece aerial pressure finally broke Jordan’s resistance 14 minutes from time. Marcel Sabitzer whipped a dangerous, inswinging corner into a crowded six-yard box, causing panic in the defensive line where the ball unluckily struck the back of defender Yazan Al-Arab and deflected past his own goalkeeper.
As a resilient Jordan committed bodies forward during a lengthy ten minutes of added time, the spaces opened up. Deep into the 12th minute of stoppage time, Salim Obaid was penalized for handling the ball while attempting to block an Austrian shot inside the area. Arnautovic stepped up to the spot and calmly sent Abulaila the wrong way, ensuring Austria celebrated their first World Cup finals victory since 1990 to move level with group leaders Argentina.
