SANTA CLARA, United States: Austria celebrated their long-awaited return to the World Cup with a 3-1 win over decided debutants Jordan on Tuesday (Jun 16), with substitute Marko Arnautovic the distinction in a gritty, end-to-end Group J match.
On a brisk evening within the San Francisco Bay Space, Austria went forward with a Twenty first-minute thunderbolt from Romano Schmid earlier than Jordan fought again after the break via Ali Olwan’s beautiful strike in off the publish.
The introduction of Arnautovic at halftime was decisive for Austria.
The 37-year-old striker had a aim disallowed within the 69th minute, then pressured defender Yazan Al Arab into an personal aim seven minutes later earlier than changing a penalty deep into stoppage time.
Austria midfielder Konrad Laimer mentioned they knew coming into the match how robust their opponents can be.
“We knew that this was going to be a troublesome match … there have been conditions the place we did a great job, there have been phases the place we underperformed,” he added.
“What’s essential is the mentality of your entire crew – we by no means gave up, we stored going till the top and eventually we got here out on high.”
