Austria kicked off their World Cup campaign with a convincing 3-1 win over tournament debutants Jordan in a thrilling Group J encounter on Wednesday morning.
The win at the California Stadium secures Austria three crucial points, placing them second in the group standings, while Jordan's historic first-ever World Cup appearance ended in disappointment.
Austria broke the deadlock in the 21st minute when Romano Schmid found the back of the net, giving his side an early well-deserved lead. However, Jordan showed immense resilience and bounced back right after the first half, with Ali Olwan scoring a brilliant equalizer to level the score and breathe life back into the debutants.
Turning point came in the 67th minute when Jordan's Yazan Al-Arab accidentally committed a suicide goal, handing Austria a 2-1 advantage. Jordan's misfortunes compounded during injury time in the second half when a handball inside the D-box resulted in a penalty. Marko Arnautović safely converted the spot-kick, clinching a 3-1 win for Austria.
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