By Dwayne Ferreira.
Algeria revive their World Cup hopes with a 2-1 comeback win over Jordan, as Benbouali and Gouiri score to eliminate the Group J debutants in Santa Clara.
Algeria revived their World Cup hopes with a determined 2-1 comeback victory over Jordan in Group J, eliminating the tournament debutants while moving level with Austria before the decisive final round.
Both teams arrived at the San Francisco Bay Area Stadium without a point. Algeria had been beaten 3-0 by defending champions Argentina, while Jordan’s first appearance at the finals began with a 3-1 loss to Austria. With Argentina defeating Austria earlier in the day, another defeat would end Jordan’s campaign and leave Algeria on the brink.
Jordan signalled their intent almost immediately when Nizar Al-Rashdan headed wide from a free kick inside the opening minute. Algeria controlled more of the ball and welcomed Riyad Mahrez back into the starting side, but their captain wasted an early opening before Jordan goalkeeper Yazeed Abu Laila denied his attempted chip following Hicham Boudaoui’s lofted pass.
Jordan took the lead in the 36th minute after Ramiz Zerrouki surrendered possession in Algeria’s defensive third. Mousa Al-Tamari’s effort travelled across the penalty area to Al-Rashdan, who met it first time and drove a right-footed finish into the bottom corner. It gave Jordan their first lead in World Cup history.
Algeria coach Vladimir Petkovic reacted at halftime by introducing Nabil Bentaleb and Nadhir Benbouali. The changes increased Algeria’s intensity and forced Jordan progressively deeper, with Ibrahim Maza becoming increasingly influential between the lines as the Desert Foxes searched for their first goal of the tournament.
The pressure finally told in the 69th minute. Mahrez delivered a corner into a crowded penalty area and Benbouali, surrounded by Jordanian defenders, rose highest to glance a bouncing header beyond Abu Laila. A lengthy VAR review followed before the equaliser was confirmed.
Petkovic then replaced Mahrez with Anis Hadj Moussa, whose direct running immediately unsettled Jordan’s tiring defence. His shot was saved in the 80th minute, but the resulting pressure produced another corner and Algeria completed the turnaround two minutes later.
Hadj Moussa curled the delivery into the six-yard area, where the ball took a deflection off Al-Rashdan during a goalmouth scramble. Amine Gouiri reacted quickest and poked home from close range. The winner survived another offside review and gave Algeria a lead they protected through the closing stages.
Maza’s energetic second-half performance earned him FIFA’s Player of the Match award, while Mahrez’s set-piece delivery and Petkovic’s substitutions transformed a contest that had appeared to be slipping away. Gouiri said Algeria had shown the mental resilience required to recover after conceding first.
The victory lifted Algeria onto three points alongside Austria and created a decisive final Group J meeting between the sides in Kansas City on June 27. Jordan remain without a point and are eliminated, but they will complete their historic first World Cup campaign against group winners Argentina in Dallas on the same day.
MATCH SUMMARY
Jordan – 1
Nizar Al-Rashdan 36’
Algeria – 2
Nadhir Benbouali 69’
Amine Gouiri 82’
Result: Algeria won 2-1
Player of the Match: Ibrahim Maza
Competition: FIFA World Cup 2026, Group J
Venue: San Francisco Bay Area Stadium, Santa Clara, California
Attendance: 68,371
Date: June 22, 2026
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