Austria’s long-awaited return to the World Cup stage was marked by a scrappy 3-1 win over determined debutants Jordan on Tuesday.
Austria had to fight it out against Jordan to secure victory on a chilly evening in the San Francisco Bay Area. They took the lead in the 21st minute thanks to a stunning strike from Romano Schmid. However, Jordan responded strongly after half-time, with Ali Olwan producing a brilliant finish that struck the post before finding the net.
The turning point came when veteran striker Marko Arnautovic was brought on at half-time.
The 37-year-old thought he had restored Austria’s lead in the 69th minute, but his goal was ruled out after a VAR review found a handball in the build-up. Arnautovic continued to make an impact, though. Seven minutes later, his pressure forced Jordan defender Yazan Al Arab into an own goal. Deep into stoppage time, he calmly converted a penalty to seal the win.
Jordan impressed throughout the match with their disciplined defending and dangerous counterattacks. The pace of Ali Olwan and Mousa Al-Tamari caused Austria plenty of problems, especially when they were playing in their first World Cup in 28 years.
Jordan nearly made the perfect start just two minutes into the match. A quick counterattack ended with captain Ehsan Haddad firing into the side netting.
Austria gradually settled into the game, with Marcel Sabitzer pulling the strings in midfield. Their breakthrough came in the 21st minute when Schmid curled a superb shot into the top corner from outside the penalty area.
Jordan continued to fight and deservedly equalised five minutes after the break. Olwan burst down the left flank before producing a brilliant strike that bounced in off the far post.
Austria thought they had gone back in front when Arnautovic bundled the ball home from close range, but VAR intervened and ruled the goal out because of a handball by Stefan Posch earlier in the move.
The decisive moment arrived when Sabitzer’s corner led to an own goal by Al Arab, giving Austria the lead once again. Arnautovic then wrapped up the victory by scoring from the penalty spot 12 minutes into stoppage time.
