Austria defeated World Cup debutants Jordan 2-1 in their opening Group J match at the San Francisco Bay Area Stadium on Wednesday, June 17, 2026.
The European side broke a second-half deadlock to secure a hard-fought victory.
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Midfielder Romano Schmid opened the scoring in the 21st minute with a spectacular strike into the top corner, assisted by Xaver Schlager.
Jordan, making its historic first World Cup appearance after qualifying on June 5, 2025, equalized five minutes into the second half.
Ali Olwan leveled the score in the 50th minute, curling the ball via the post into the far corner after a cross from Noor Al-Rawabdeh.
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Austria responded in the 67th minute when Marko Arnautovic scored the decisive goal, capitalizing on a direct assist from Stefan Posch.
Before the match, Austrian coach Ralf Rangnick acknowledged the challenge posed by the tournament debutants.
"It will not be an easy game, they will want to be dangerous on the counter," Rangnick said.
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Austria aimed for a strong start to secure a favorable position in Group J, which also includes Argentina and Algeria.
