Austria marked their return to the World Cup after a 28-year absence with a 3-1 victory over debutants Jordan in their Group J opener in Santa Clara, California. The win represents Austria's first victory at the tournament since 1990. Austria opened the scoring in the 20th minute with a thunderbolt from Romano Schmid that found the top corner of the net.
Jordan fought back five minutes after halftime when Ali Olwan scored a sumptuous shot in off the far post to equalize. The match grew tense in the second half when substitute Marko Arnautovic had a goal disallowed in the 69th minute following a VAR review that ruled a handball by teammate Stefan Posch. Austria eventually reclaimed the lead in the 76th minute when a Marcel Sabitzer corner deflected off Jordanian defender Yazan Al Arab into his own net.
Arnautovic capped the night by converting a penalty in the 12th minute of stoppage time after Saleem Obeid was penalized for handball. The goal was the striker's 48th in a record 134th appearance for his country. Coach Ralf Rangnick praised Arnautovic's physical presence and contribution, though he defended his initial decision to start Sasa Kalajdzic based on recent training sessions.
Rangnick credited Jordan for their brave football, stating that the debutants exceeded his expectations. Despite the loss, Jordan's Olwan remained optimistic about the team's ability to qualify. The victory puts Austria second in Group J behind defending champions Argentina, who defeated Algeria 3-0. Austria is scheduled to face Argentina and Lionel Messi on June 22.