Austria ended their 36-wait for another World Cup win after they beat tournament debutants Jordan 3-1 at the Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara.
After holders Argentina had won 3-0 thanks to a Lionel Messi hat-trick earlier in the night, Austria knew that they needed to stamp an early three points on the board in order to keep pace in Group J, ahead of the match between the two sides next Monday.
Ralf Rangnick’s side made the breakthrough in the 21st minute through Romano Schmid. The midfielder produced a moment of real quality, curling a superb effort beyond the reach of Jordan goalkeeper Yazeed Abulaila to score his fourth international goal.
Jordan, making their first-ever World Cup appearance, showed flashes of attacking intent throughout the opening half and were rewarded with a first ever World Cup shortly after the restart through Ali Olwan, who scored a brilliant equaliser.
However, it was super-sub Marko Arnautovic who proved decisive in the outcome of this clash. After having a goal ruled out, the former Stoke and West Ham striker helped his side retake the lead from a corner, putting Yazan Al Arab under pressure as the defender diverted the ball into his own net. He then calmly converted from the penalty spot to seal Austria’s first World Cup victory since Italia ’90.
In this article, we’ll cover:
Impact Arnautovic inspires Austria
Austria introduced veteran striker Arnautovic at half-time and the substitute almost made an immediate impact with what would have been his record-extending 48th international goal, only for VAR to rule the effort out.
However, Arnautovic played a decisive role with 15 minutes remaining, when Marcel Sabitzer delivered a dangerous corner into the box and Jordan defender Yazan Al Arab, under pressure while marking Arnautovic, inadvertently headed into his own net.
Arnautovic then got his goal in the 12th minute of injury time after he sent Yazeed Abulaila the wrong way from the penalty spot to score his 48th goal for Das Team.
Schmid’s moment of magic
It may not have been a vintage Austria performance but they got the job done and can now focus their intentions on conjuring up an upset against holders Argentina.
For that to happen, they may once again need a moment of magic, as was the case for their opener against Jordan when Romano Schmid found the top corner with a superb curling strike in the first-half in what was undoubtedly one of the best goals at the tournament so far.
The Werder Bremen attacking midfielder was a threat throughout the game, playing an important role in his side’s attacking play, where he notably attempted 14 final third passes in the game, nine of which were completed.
Schmid’s pass map vs Jordan:
Positive signs for Jordan despite defeat
Jordan may have fallen short in their bid to become the first World Cup debutants to win their opening match since Senegal famously stunned France in 2002, but there were positive signs in their 3-1 defeat to Austria.
Despite trailing 1-0 at half-time, the Chivalrous Ones looked threatening throughout the opening period. Ali Olwan struck the crossbar and they repeatedly tested the Austrian defence, finishing the first half with nine shots, three on target, and a higher expected goals (xG) tally of 0.35 compared to Austria’s 0.22.
Just five minutes into the second half, Ali Olwan etched his name into the history books by scoring Jordan’s first World Cup goal, finishing a swift counter-attack with a brilliant curling effort that clipped the inside of the post on its way in.
While they were unable to maintain the same intensity after that equaliser, Jordan still registered the same amount of shots (11) and shots on target (4) as their opponents, created more chances (9 to 6) and completed significantly more take-ons (15 to 3) across the game.
Although the result ultimately went against them, Jordan’s display offered reasons for optimism ahead of their crucial second Group J clash against Algeria.
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