Arnautović penalty seals first Austria World Cup win in 36 years against Jordan

Romano Schmid and a Marko Arnautović penalty deep in stoppage time saw Austria past debutants Jordan 3-1 for their first World Cup win since 1990. Ali Olwan's strike, Jordan's first-ever World Cup goal, still gave the underdogs a moment to treasure.

Austria left it ridiculously late at Levi's Stadium in the San Francisco Bay Area, but they walked off with a 3-1 win over Jordan and a slice of their own history. This was the first World Cup victory for the Austrians since 1990, a 36-year wait finally over, and they needed a penalty in the twelfth minute of stoppage time to get it done.

The opening goal arrived on 23 minutes and carried real quality. Romano Schmid timed his run and found the finish, and for long stretches of the first half Austria looked the calmer, sharper side. At the interval the favourites led, and a routine afternoon seemed to be unfolding.

Jordan had other ideas. Five minutes after the restart, Ali Olwan struck on 50 minutes to make it 1-1, and the moment belonged to a whole nation. It was Jordan's first goal at any World Cup, a debut tournament made memorable in a single swing of the boot. For a side that reached the 2023 Asian Cup final and now leans on talents like Mousa Al-Taamari, who plays his football in Europe, this was the next rung up the ladder.

The equaliser stung Austria into life, yet the goal that swung the game back their way owed plenty to luck. On 76 minutes, Yazan Al-Arab bundled the ball into his own net under pressure, an own goal that handed the lead back to a relieved Austrian side. Captain David Alaba, the Real Madrid man marshalling things from the back, urged his team to shut the door.

Jordan refused to fold. They threw bodies forward chasing a second equaliser, stretched the game, and very nearly forced extra reward for their bravery. Austria held on, then pushed, and the contest stretched past 90 minutes and kept going through a marathon stoppage-time period.

The decisive blow landed at 90+12. Marko Arnautović, the Vienna-born striker now in the veteran stage of a well-travelled career, stepped up to the spot and kept his nerve to make it 3-1. It was the last meaningful kick of the match, and it sealed three points that matter enormously for Austria's hopes of escaping the group.

That result reshapes Group J. Austria now sit in a commanding early position, while Jordan must regroup and chase a result in their remaining fixtures. For the wider read on how the continents are shaping up, see our Europe round-one verdict and the Asia round-one verdict.

Here in Kenya, this one kicked off in the small hours, and the bleary-eyed who stayed up were rewarded with proper drama. Hii ndio sababu tunakesha, ball ni ball mpaka the last whistle: this is why we stay up, football is football until the final whistle. Jordan lost, but their first World Cup goal is a moment Arab and African fans alike will remember long after the scoreline fades.