Game Turned Around
Algeria Wins: Now Austria Faces a “Final”
Austria’s group opponent, Algeria, earned its first points early Tuesday morning at the World Cup in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico. The “Desert Foxes” celebrated a lackluster 2-1 (0-1) victory over Jordan in Santa Clara, California, and now have three points, just like the Austrian national team. Nadhir Benbouali (69th) and Amine Gouiri (82nd) turned the game around for the favorites after Jordan’s goal by Nizar Al Rashdan (36th).
In the battle for second place in Group J, Austria will face Algeria in Kansas City on Saturday night into Sunday morning (4:00 a.m. CEST/on the Sportkrone.at live ticker). A draw will be enough for the Red-White-Reds. For debutant Jordan, however, the knockout round is out of reach.
In front of 68,371 spectators, Algeria was the dominant team, though it failed to pose a real threat. There were almost no openings; Jordan once again played with a compact, packed defense and repeatedly launched counterattacks—much like in their match against Austria, which they had lost 1–3 six days earlier. Nizar Al Rashdan promptly capitalized on one of these counterattacks—following a somewhat fortunate assist—to give his team the lead.
Two corner kicks sealed the deal
Algeria fought back with great determination right after halftime but continued to lack offensive highlights. The equalizer inevitably came from a set piece: Benbouali, who had come on as a substitute at halftime, held his ground after a corner kick and brought his team back into the game. The favorites pressed on and were rewarded with the winning goal by Gouiri following another corner kick.
“I don’t know if we showed our true colors, but we played better than we did against Argentina,” said the Olympique Marseille forward. “We conceded a goal, but we showed mental resilience and are getting stronger step by step. This game will do us a lot of good.”
Jordan – Algeria 1–2 (1–0)
Santa Clara, 68,371, Referee Vincic (SLO)
Goals: 1 –0 (38') Al Rashdan, 1–1 (69') Benbouali, 1–2 (82') Gouiri
Jordan: Abulaila – Nasib, Al Arab, Abu Dahab (91. Obaid) – Haddad, Al Rashdan, Al Rawabdeh, Abu Taha (84. Abu Hasheesh) – Olwan (91. Abuzraiq), Al Mardi (76. Fakhoury) – Al-Tamari (84. Azaizeh)
Algeria: Zidane – Belghali, Mandi, Bensebaini, Ait-Nouri (85. Hadjam) – Boudaoui (46. Benbouali), Zerrouki (46. Bentaleb), Maza – Mahrez (76. Hadj Moussa), Gouiri (85. Belaid), Chaibi
Yellow cards: Abu Dahab and Zerrouki
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