Austria marked their return to the World Cup after a 28-year absence by securing a tense 3-1 victory over tournament debutants Jordan at Levi’s Stadium. The hard-fought triumph, witnessed by a crowd of 68,527, represents the European nation’s first win at a World Cup finals since they defeated the United States in 1990. Managed by former Manchester United boss Ralf Rangnick, the Austrian side survived a spirited second-half comeback to claim a crucial three points in Group J.

The Europeans established control early and broke the deadlock in the 21st minute through a stunning strike from Romano Schmid. Capitalising on an impressive attacking buildup that forced the Jordanian defence onto the back foot, Xaver Schlager fed a precise pass to Schmid, who unleashed a perfectly struck right-foot shot from the edge of the penalty area directly into the top corner. Despite the setback, the 67th-ranked debutants remained resilient, generating several counter-attacking opportunities before the half-time interval.

Jordan sent their large contingent of travelling supporters into raptures just five minutes into the second half when Ali Olwan scored his nation’s first-ever World Cup goal. The forward embarked on a driving run into the penalty box on a rapid counterattack, expertly curling a right-footed effort past Austrian goalkeeper Alexander Schlager to level the scoreline. The match then descended into a frantic period of drama, as substitute Marko Arnautovic thought he had restored Austria’s lead, only for his close-range finish to be disallowed by the video assistant referee due to a handball from Stefan Posch in the buildup.

The decisive moment ultimately arrived in the 76th minute when Austrian defender Stefan Posch delivered a sublime corner into the danger zone, which inadvertently deflected off the back of Jordanian defender Yazan Al Arab and into his own net. Forced to chase the game, Jordan left themselves exposed at the back during the lengthy period of stoppage time. Deep into the 12th minute of injury time, Arnautovic sealed the historic Austrian victory by confidently converting a penalty after Saleem Obaid was penalised for handling the ball inside the area.