Algeria claimed a first-ever comeback victory at the World Cup finals, defeating Jordan 2-1 to revive their hopes of reaching the Round of 32.
The Desert Foxes fell behind to a first-half strike from Nizar Al-Rashdan, but rallied after the interval through substitute Nadir Benbouali before Amine Gouiri settled the contest with an 82nd-minute winner. The result leaves Vladimir Petkovic’s side level on three points with Austria ahead of their decisive final group encounter.
Jordan, competing in their maiden World Cup campaign, will exit the tournament regardless of the outcome against Argentina in their closing fixture.
Petkovic reshuffles pack
The Algerian coach made several alterations to the team that opened the tournament against Argentina. Riyad Mahrez returned to the starting line-up to captain the side, while goalkeeper Luca Zidane—son of French World Cup winner Zinedine—earned his chance between the posts. Anis Hadj Moussa dropped to the bench as Petkovic reshuffled his attacking resources, with Ramiz Zerrouki and Nabil Bentaleb providing midfield reinforcement.
The changes initially failed to prevent the Asian debutants from seizing the initiative. Al-Rashdan’s first-half effort gave Jordan a deserved lead that they held until the break. However, Petkovic’s half-time introduction of Benbouali proved decisive. The substitute marked his World Cup debut with an equaliser shortly after the restart, shifting the momentum firmly in Algeria’s favour.
As the match entered its closing stages, Gouiri delivered the decisive blow eight minutes from time to complete the turnaround and secure a priceless three points.
Knockout fate in the balance
Wolfsburg striker Mohamed Amoura missed the contest through injury, though Algeria’s contingent of Bundesliga stars featured prominently throughout. Ramy Bensebaini, Farès Chaïbi and Ibrahim Maza all completed the full 90 minutes as the north African outfit ground out a crucial result.
The victory sets up a high-stakes finale against Austria on the final matchday. Both sides know that victory would guarantee progression to the knockout stages, while a draw could potentially see both teams advance via the best third-placed route. However, Ralf Rangnick’s Austrian outfit require only a point to secure second position in Group E.
The fixture carries additional historical significance. Algeria were eliminated from the 1982 World Cup following the controversial “Disgrace of Gijón”, when West Germany’s narrow victory over Austria sent both European sides through at the Desert Foxes’ expense. Tuesday’s meeting offers an opportunity to settle that particular score four decades later.