Algerian Radio
The Algerian national football team secured a precious 2-1 victory (half-time: 0-1) against their Jordanian counterparts on Tuesday at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, near San Francisco (California, USA). The match, part of the second matchday of Group J in the 2026 World Cup, revived their chances of qualifying for the round of 32.
Following their opening matchday defeat to Argentina (0-3), the national team dug deep to overturn a compromised situation against a tenacious Jordanian side, who for a long time believed they were on the verge of their first World Cup success.
Vladimir Petkovic’s men began the match cautiously, while the Jordanians created the first opportunity in the 4th minute with an off-target header from Nizar Al-Rashdan following a free-kick by Mousa Al-Tamari.
The Algerian reaction was swift. Set up by Farès Chaïbi in the penalty area, Amine Gouiri saw his attempt go wide in the 7th minute, before Riyad Mahrez missed a promising early opportunity following a good run into space in the 20th minute.
Despite dominating possession, the "Greens" struggled to impose their rhythm against a well-organized opponent. The Jordanians even looked more dangerous, notably through Al-Tamari, whose long-range strike was easily gathered by goalkeeper Luca Zidane in the 15th minute.
Mahrez then created Algeria’s clearest chance of the first half but was thwarted by an excellent save from goalkeeper Yazeed Abu Laila (34th minute). A minute later, the Algerians appealed for a penalty after Rayan Aït-Nouri went down in the box, but Slovenian referee Slavko Vincic was unconvinced.
Shortly after, Jordan opened the scoring with their best collective move. Capitalizing on a poor clearance by Ramiz Zerrouki, Abu Taha combined with Al-Tamari before delivering a cross that was met at the back post by Nizar Al-Rashdan, who beat Zidane with a low, cross-shot (36th minute, 1-0).
Returning from the locker room, Petkovic made a double substitution, bringing on Nabil Bentaleb and Ali Benbouali in place of Zerrouki and Hicham Boudaoui. This choice would prove decisive.
Looking more enterprising, the "Greens" ramped up the pressure. Ibrahim Maza stood out on several occasions, forcing Abu Laila into a fine save from a powerful strike (55th minute) before missing the target after creating an excellent scoring position for himself (61st minute).
Jordan resisted as best they could but increasingly succumbed to the Algerian offensive waves. Benbouali first made his presence felt with a weak header from a Bentaleb cross (65th minute) before leveling the score four minutes later.
From a perfectly executed corner by Mahrez, the Algerian striker delivered an unstoppable cross-header into the Jordanian side-netting (69th minute, 1-1), rewarding the growing dominance of the "Greens."
Reinvigorated by the equalizer, Algeria pressed on. Chaïbi once again tested Abu Laila’s vigilance (74th minute), while the Jordanians began to tire physically.
The introduction of Anis Hadj Moussa in place of Mahrez also weighed heavily on the match's outcome. At the center of several dangerous set-piece situations, the substitute won a decisive corner in the 82nd minute. His cross was deflected by Ramy Bensebaïni before being met at the back post by Gouiri, who bundled the ball into the back of the net despite the Jordanian goalkeeper's attempt to clear (82nd minute, 2-1).
Following a VAR review, the goal was validated, allowing the Algerians to take the lead for the first time in the match. The final minutes saw the Jordanians attempt to equalize, but they failed to seriously trouble a better-organized Algerian defense. After seven minutes of stoppage time, the referee blew the final whistle on the Algerian victory.
Thanks to this success, Algeria joins Austria in second place in Group J with three points, behind Argentina, who have already qualified for the round of 32 with six points. Jordan sits at the bottom with zero points.
During the third and final matchday, scheduled for next Sunday, Algeria will face Austria at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City (Missouri), while Argentina will take on Jordan at AT&T Stadium in Arlington (Texas). Both matches will kick off at 3:00 AM (Algerian time).
