Algeria sink Jordan to keep World Cup dreams alive

Algeria produced a dramatic second-half comeback to defeat Jordan 2-1 in a crucial FIFA World Cup Group J encounter at the San Francisco Bay Area Stadium, boosting their hopes of reaching the knockout stages while ending Jordan’s hopes of progression.

The World Cup debutants stunned the Fennec Foxes in the 36th minute when midfielder Nizar Al Rashdan etched his name into Jordanian football history.

After excellent work from Mousa Tamari, the ball fell kindly to Al Rashdan on the edge of the area, and he drilled a first-time effort beyond Luca Zidane to hand Jordan a surprise lead.

Jordan’s advantage lasted until the 69th minute when Algeria’s pressure finally paid off.

Riyad Mahrez delivered a pinpoint corner that was met by Nadir Benbouali, whose header found the far corner for Algeria’s first goal of the tournament.

The turnaround was completed 13 minutes later when another Mahrez corner caused chaos inside the Jordan penalty area, allowing Amine Gouiri to poke home from close range and secure a vital 2-1 victory.

The result highlighted the contrasting World Cup histories of the two nations.

Jordan are making their first-ever appearance at a FIFA World Cup and have already made history by scoring in each of their opening two matches.

Their campaign follows years of progress within the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), where they reached the final of the 2023 AFC Asian Cup, their greatest achievement to date.

Algeria, representing the Confederation of African Football (CAF), are appearing at their fifth FIFA World Cup.

Their finest World Cup run came in 2014 when they reached the Round of 16 before narrowly losing to eventual champions Germany.

The Desert Foxes are also two-time Africa Cup of Nations champions, having lifted the continental trophy in 1990 and 2019, making them one of Africa's most respected football nations.

Jordan are coached by Moroccan tactician Jamal Sellami, a former international midfielder who helped guide Morocco to the 2004 Africa Cup of Nations final as a player before embarking on a successful coaching career.

Algeria are led by experienced Swiss-Bosnian coach Vladimir Petković, who famously guided Switzerland to the Round of 16 at the 2018 FIFA World Cup and won the Italian Cup with Lazio during his club coaching career.

Al Rashdan’s strike was Jordan’s second goal in World Cup history after Ali Olwan became the country's first-ever World Cup goalscorer against Austria.

Jordan’s World Cup scorers are therefore Olwan against Austria and Al Rashdan against Algeria.

Benbouali and Gouiri became the nation’s first scorers of the 2026 World Cup.

Algeria failed to score in their opening 3-0 defeat to Argentina before finding the net twice against Jordan.

Their goals not only preserved their qualification hopes but also demonstrated the resilience and character that have long defined Algerian football on the global stage.

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