Austria marked its return to the World Cup stage after nearly three decades with a tense 3-1 victory over Jordan in San Francisco in Group 10. Romano Schmid opened the scoring in the 20th minute with a superb long-range finish, and the goal made him only the second Austrian ever, after Ivica Vastic, to score at both the European Championship and the World Cup.
Jordan, making its historic World Cup debut, responded bravely and equalized in the 50th minute through Ali Olwan, who cut in from the left and finished off the far post. The match then swung back and forth, with a Marco Arnautovic goal in the 67th minute ruled out by VAR for a prior handball.
Austria regained control in the 76th minute when a Marcel Sabitzer corner caused confusion and Jordan defender Yazan Al-Arab headed into his own net. The players briefly came together in a physical confrontation afterward, and Sabitzer was booked in the 77th minute.
Deep into stoppage time, at 90+12, a handball by Salem Obied inside the box gave Austria a penalty. Arnautovic converted it for his 48th international goal to seal the win. It was Austria’s first World Cup victory since 1990, sending Ralf Rangnick’s side to second place in the group behind Argentina. Jordan, despite the loss, can take pride in its first World Cup goal and will still be chasing its first-ever win against a European team.
