Marko Arnautovic stepped off the bench in the 67th minute and turned a nervy Group J opener into a statement, his late brace dragging Austria across the line in a 3-1 win over World Cup debutants Jordan at Levi’s Stadium on Tuesday night. After 36 years away from the tournament, Austria’s return was anything but comfortable — and were it not for Ali Olwan’s rifled equaliser striking the inside of the post in the 58th minute, the gulf between the 18th-ranked Europeans and Hussein Ammouta’s 87th-ranked side might never have appeared at all.
Romano Schmid’s 21st-minute thunderbolt from 25 yards had given Austria the kind of early control Ralf Rangnick had demanded in the build-up. But Jordan, roared on by a partisan pocket of supporters who had flown in from Amman, refused to wilt. By the hour mark they had drawn level, rattled the woodwork twice, and forced Patrick Pentz into the save of the night. Then Arnautovic arrived.
Schmid sets the tone before Jordan punch back
Austria began the way Rangnick teams tend to: high press, quick transitions, no time for the opposition to settle. Schmid’s opener was the product of exactly that pattern — Konrad Laimer winning the ball 40 yards from goal, Marcel Sabitzer slipping it square, and the Werder Bremen midfielder taking one touch before lashing a left-footed strike inside Yazeed Abulaila’s near post.
For 25 minutes the contest looked as one-sided as the rankings suggested it should be. Christoph Baumgartner curled a free-kick narrowly wide. David Alaba, captaining his country at a World Cup for the first time, stepped into midfield and dictated tempo. Yet Jordan’s discipline never broke. Mousa Al-Taamari, the Montpellier winger who has carried his country through this cycle, began to find pockets between Austria’s lines. By half-time the underdogs had earned a foothold.
They deserved their reward eight minutes after the interval. Al-Taamari skipped past Phillipp Mwene on the right, cut inside Stefan Posch, and rolled the ball into the path of Olwan, whose first-time shot from 18 yards kissed the post on its way past Pentz. The Mali-born striker, who plays his club football in Saudi Arabia’s second tier, stood with his arms outstretched as the Jordanian bench emptied onto the touchline.
Arnautovic, the difference Rangnick gambled on
Rangnick had named Arnautovic among the substitutes — a calculated risk given the 37-year-old’s recent form at Inter and the physical demands of a Group J opener in California heat. The gamble paid off inside seven minutes. Collecting a flick from Michael Gregoritsch on the edge of the box, Arnautovic chopped inside Salem Al-Ajalin and finished low across goal in the 74th minute. Five minutes from time he added the third, nodding in Sabitzer’s whipped delivery to put the result beyond doubt.
It was Arnautovic’s 38th and 39th international goals, moving him within one of Toni Polster’s all-time Austrian record. More importantly, it ended a run of four matches without a goal for his country and, in Rangnick’s words afterwards, “answered the only question we had left going into this tournament.” Austria have rarely possessed a finisher of this kind at a major tournament. They have one now.
What this means for Group J
Three points and a positive goal difference put Austria top of a section that also contains France and Senegal, with their second fixture against the Africa Cup of Nations holders to come in Houston on Sunday. Rangnick’s side will know that performances of this rhythm — controlled spells punctured by lapses — will not survive a meeting with Kylian Mbappé’s France in the final group game.
For Jordan, defeat carried no shame. Ammouta’s team out-shot Austria 14-12, completed more passes in the final third than any Asian debutant since Iraq in 1986, and gave Olwan a goal he will replay for the rest of his career. Their margin for error is now slim — they almost certainly need a result against Senegal in Atlanta on Saturday — but the manner of the performance suggested they will not leave this World Cup as quiet tourists.
- Schmid’s opener was Austria’s first World Cup goal since Toni Polster in 1990
- Arnautovic became the oldest Austrian to score at a World Cup, aged 37 years and 84 days
- Jordan’s xG of 1.34 was higher than 11 of the 16 losing sides on matchday one
- Austria have now won their opening fixture in three of their last four major tournaments
Ahmad Ali, Sports Editor
Sports journalist and editor at SportsPortal.net. Covers cricket, football, Formula 1, tennis, and basketball with a focus on how global sports connect with Pakistani audiences. Follows the PSL, Pakistan national cricket team, Premier League, and major international tournaments. Has reported on sports for digital audiences since 2021.
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