Written by Megan Taylor, sports reporter covering international sports since 2020

Austria vs Jordan World Cup action ended with Austria winning 3-1 in Santa Clara on Tuesday, claiming their first victory at the tournament in 36 years and spoiling Jordan’s debut on soccer’s biggest stage.

Romano Schmid opened the scoring in the 20th minute before Ali Olwan drew Jordan level early in the second half, giving the large Jordanian support a moment to remember in the nation’s first World Cup match.

For more World Cup coverage, read Lionel Messi World Cup goal record: Argentina captain equals Miroslav Klose mark. Fans can also follow official tournament updates through the FIFA World Cup website.

Austria find a late edge

Schmid’s opener came after a sharp Austria move, with Xaver Schlager feeding the ball into his path before the midfielder struck a right-foot finish into the top corner.

Jordan responded in the 50th minute through Olwan, who broke forward on the counterattack and beat Alexander Schlager with a composed right-foot shot.

The game’s biggest swing came after the second-half hydration break when an Austria corner caused trouble inside the Jordan penalty area.

Yazan Al Arab turned the ball into his own net in the 76th minute, giving Austria a 2-1 lead after an earlier Marko Arnautovic effort from another corner was ruled out for a handball by Stefan Posch following a VAR review.

Arnautovic seals historic win

Arnautovic, 37, came off the bench for his World Cup debut and later scored from the penalty spot deep in stoppage time.

The goal sealed Austria’s first World Cup win since beating the United States in a group-stage match in 1990.

Jordan had hoped to become the first country since Senegal in 2002 to win on its World Cup debut, but their energy and second-half push were not enough.

Jordan will return to Santa Clara next Monday to face Algeria, while Austria will meet Lionel Messi and Argentina in Dallas on the same day.