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A night that should have been written in golden letters in Jordan’s history turned into World Cup heartbreak as the starving side went ahead, dreaming and touching glory for the first time in the World Cup, but Algeria came to spoil the story.
The Desert Warriors turned the table to one with two goals and sent Jordan back from the euphoria of history to the bitterness of reality in a World Cup night the Arabs will never forget.
Nizar Al-Rashdan opened Jordan’s score in the 39th minute, while Nadhir Ben Boual scored the first goal for Algeria, the second – 69, and the second – Amin Juiri (82).
With this result, the Algerian team increased its score to 3 points and is in third place, behind the leader Argentina (6 points) and the runner-up Austria (3), while Jordan remained in fourth place without a point.
The two teams did not wait long to feel the pulse. On the opening whistle, Nizar Al-Rashdan lit the stands alight with Jordan’s first real threat as he produced a perfect cross and headed it past the left post of the Algerian goal.
Algeria’s response was swift, with Amin Gueiri’s powerful strike hitting the right post of Nashamy’s goal and an Algerian corner soon after would have been too dangerous had it not been for the bravery of the Jordanian defense to clear the ball in the last minute to leave it a goalless draw in the middle of a packed stadium with a capacity of 68 fans exceeding 00.
The Jordanian team continued their attacking prowess when Moussa Al-Taamari fired a shot from the right wing that hit the leg of an Algerian defender, losing power and changing direction, but the Algerian goalkeeper was there in time to make a firm save. The experience confirmed that the star players were not going to back down in the game, but were rather looking for the initiative against a team with a lot of World Cup experience.
Despite the open start and the exchange of attacks in the first minutes, the level of danger decreased later… Both teams entered a phase of clear tactical caution, focusing more on defensive discipline and getting absorbed in the offensive building phases.
The initial excitement faded and was replaced by anticipation and calculation, leaving the scoreless draw after the first quarter of an hour. It delivered on its promises in terms of excitement and noted that the match could be decided by small details.
With Algeria clearly in control, Riyad Mahrez broke through the Jordan defense and was one-on-one with goalkeeper Yazid Abou Laila, but he was slow to shoot until the defender caught up to him and clipped his hoop, confusing Mahrez and missing a golden opportunity to score, and the tie remained goalless.
After that attack, the Jordanian national team entered the history of the World Cup, when in the 39th minute, through Nizar Al-Rashdan, he managed to advance the score for the first time in the history of the participation of the AA, giving an advantage to “Al-Nashama” in the match.
Jordan ended the first half 1-0 in a shocker that did not reflect the flow of the game as Algeria dominated the half and enjoyed 70% possession, but ran into Jordan’s defensive discipline and mental toughness that starved efficiency.
As the second half began, Algeria stepped up the pressure in search of a match. It started with a dangerous forehand ball that the Algerian forward took almost single-handedly if not for Yazid Abou Laila’s perfectly timed exit and possession to finish off the attack.
Soon after, Riyad Mahrez took a free-kick with a powerful pass into the penalty area, but Abu Laila’s catch was there to clear the danger. The brilliance didn’t stop as the Jordanian keeper brilliantly blocked Ibrahim Mazah’s rocket to save his third goal in as many minutes.
Jordan’s persistence did not last long in the face of continued Algerian pressure. Riyad Mahrez curled a perfect cross into the middle of the penalty area from a corner and Nadhir Ben Bouali rose to head it into the left corner to give Algeria the lead.
The goal reversed the facts and brought the game back to where it started after a second half where Abou Laila started heroically and Ben Bouali finished with a goal Algeria deserved to take control of.
From a corner kick that flashed into the penalty area, the decisive strike arrived as the ball curled inside the six-yard box, finding Amin Giri unmarked. The Algerian star did not hesitate and converted it with a strong right-footed shot from very close range to the middle of the goal.
Algeria’s second goal completely turned the tables, turning Jordan’s historic lead into a bitter 1-2 deficit amid Jordanian surprise and Algerian overwhelming jubilation, robbing them of a starchy night… and the rest of the minutes passed without affecting the course of the match.
