The J Group is now entering its final stretch. Several hours after the Argentina National Team triumphed 2-0 against Austria, Algeria did the same against Jordan, winning 2-1 in a match that they started losing but managed to turn around. Thanks to this result, two things were defined: the team led by Lionel Scaloni will advance as group leaders to the Round of 16, while the Asians, their next opponent, have been eliminated from the 2026 World Cup.
The start of the match would show a possession-dominating Algerian team and a Jordanian team that patiently waited to regain the ball and advance with few touches into attack. In this context, despite a few dangerous chances from both sides, the first half would not have major incidents until after the first cooling break, including a chance from Riyad Mahrez that goalkeeper Yazeed Abu laila would barely clear and shortly after, an unexpected goal from the Asians given how the game was developing.
At 35, after a great combination of passes, Mohannad Mahmoud abo Taha would center back for Musa Al-Taamari, who would spectacularly miss his shot attempt, but by sheer luck, the ball would fall to Nizar Al Rashdan who would volley it into the net to make it 1-0.
In the second half, the "Desert Foxes" would come out determined to equalize. At 53, Ibrahim Maza would shoot from afar, but Abu laila would manage to save it. Five minutes later, Maza himself would take on the defense and break into the area, although his powerful shot would go high and wide. Shortly after, substitute Nadhir Benbouali would head the ball near the goal, but once again the Jordanian goalkeeper would neutralize the play.
Although Jordan would also have its opportunities to extend the lead by exploiting the gaps in defense left by their opponent, Algeria would finally equalize. At 68, Benbouali himself would receive a corner kick from Mahrez, and this time he would beat the opposing goalkeeper with a header.
Clearly influenced by the goal, the Africans would seek more and manage to turn the game around at 82: after a rebound in the Jordanian defense following a corner, Amine Gouiri, who was perfectly positioned by Mahmoud abo Taha, would push the ball into the back of the net after some deflections to make it 2-1 final.
After this victory, Algeria will face Austria in a direct duel for second place next Saturday, June 27 at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City. Meanwhile, Jordan, already without chances of advancing, will try to end their World Cup participation with a win against Argentina on the same day and at the same time at AT&T Stadium, Arlington.
