Austria marked their long-awaited return to the World Cup after 28 years with a hard-fought 3-1 victory over debutants Jordan in their Group J opener on Tuesday, sealing the result only in the closing stages after a tense contest.
Austria struck first in the 20th minute when Romano Schmid unleashed a powerful long-range effort that gave the European side an early advantage. However, Jordan responded well after the break, with Ali Olwan finding space inside the box and firing a precise shot into the far corner to level the score just five minutes into the second half.
The match remained finely balanced until Austria thought they had regained the lead in the 69th minute. Marko Arnautovic bundled a low shot into the net following a goalmouth scramble, but celebrations were cut short when VAR ruled the effort out for handball by teammate Stefan Posch in the buildup.
Austria eventually found a breakthrough seven minutes later when Jordan defender Yazan Al-Arab turned Marcel Sabitzer’s corner into his own net, handing the European side a crucial lead.
Jordan pushed for an equaliser, but Austria sealed the win in stoppage time when Arnautovic converted a penalty after Saleem Obeid was penalised for handball inside the area.
The result gives Austria a strong start to their Group J campaign, while Jordan will take encouragement from a spirited debut performance despite the defeat.
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