Austria made a winning return to the FIFA World Cup after a 28-year absence, overcoming spirited debutants Jordan 3-1 in their Group J opener at the San Francisco Bay Area Stadium on Tuesday.
Goals from Romano Schmid and Marko Arnautovic, along with an unfortunate own goal by Jordan defender Yazan Al Arab, handed Austria all three points in their first World Cup match since France 1998.
Jordan, appearing at the tournament for the first time in their history, threatened early and nearly stunned their European opponents inside the opening minutes. Captain Ehsan Haddad fired into the side netting before Odeh Fakhouri tested goalkeeper Alexander Schlager with a long-range strike.
Despite Jordan’s bright start, Austria broke the deadlock in the 20th minute through Schmid, who produced a superb curling effort from the edge of the penalty area to give his side the lead.
The underdogs responded impressively after the break and made history in the 50th minute. Ali Olwan raced onto a pass from deep inside the Austrian half before cutting inside and bending a brilliant shot into the far corner via the post, becoming the first Jordanian player ever to score at a FIFA World Cup.
Jordan’s dream of claiming a point remained alive until the closing stages when Austria’s pressure from set pieces finally paid off.
Arnautovic thought he had restored Austria’s lead midway through the second half, only for VAR to rule out the goal after detecting a handball in the build-up. Moments later, however, another dangerous corner created confusion in the Jordan box, with Al Arab inadvertently turning the ball into his own net.
The result was put beyond doubt deep into stoppage time when Jordan defender Salim Obaid handled the ball inside the area while attempting to block a shot. Arnautovic stepped up and confidently converted the resulting penalty to seal a 3-1 victory.
The win gives Austria a strong start to their World Cup campaign and extends an unusual tournament record – none of their 30 FIFA World Cup matches have ever ended in a goalless draw.
Jordan, meanwhile, can take encouragement from a spirited debut performance and the historic milestone of scoring their first-ever World Cup goal despite leaving empty-handed.