Austria recorded their first FIFA World Cup victory in 36 years after defeating tournament debutants Jordan 3-1 in their Group J encounter in San Francisco.
The Europeans, playing at the World Cup for the first time since 1998, finally celebrated a win at the global tournament for the first time since beating the United States in 1990.
Austria opened the scoring in the 21st minute when Romano Schmid produced a brilliant long-range strike that flew into the net.
Jordan responded strongly after the break. Just five minutes into the second half, Ali Olwan curled a superb effort beyond the goalkeeper to level the score and give the World Cup newcomers hope.
Marko Arnautovic appeared to have restored Austria’s advantage shortly afterwards when he reacted quickest after Jordan goalkeeper Yazeed Abulaila failed to clear a corner. However, VAR ruled the goal out after detecting a handball by Stefan Posch during the move.
Austria continued to press and regained the lead in the 76th minute. A dangerous corner caused confusion in the Jordan defence, with Yazan Al Arab accidentally turning the ball into his own net.
Arnautovic eventually got his goal deep into stoppage time. The veteran striker calmly converted a penalty after Saleem Obaid handled the ball inside the box.
The result gives Austria a winning start ahead of a difficult clash against defending champions Argentina, inspired by Lionel Messi, who scored a hat-trick in a 3-0 victory over Algeria.
Although Jordan suffered defeat, they earned praise for a spirited display in their first-ever World Cup finals appearance. They will now turn their attention to a crucial match against Algeria as they chase their first points of the tournament.
Ali Olwan was named Player of the Match after an impressive performance that included Jordan’s historic first World Cup finals goal.
