FIFA World Cup 2026: Algeria Strike Twice From Corners To Script Comeback 2-1 Win Over Jordan in California
FIFA World Cup 2026: Algeria kept their 2026 FIFA World Cup campaign very much alive with a stirring second-half comeback, beating a stubborn Jordan side 2-1 at the San Francisco Bay Area Stadium on June 22. Vladimir Petkovic’s men cancelled out Jordan’s shock first-half opener with two set-piece goals to leave the Asian tournament debutants mathematically eliminated but pull the Desert Warriors right back into the race for the Round of 32.
Jordan’s First-Half Stunner
Algeria started the match strongly, looking to dominate after a painful 3-0 loss to Argentina, and played a heavy possession game. But veteran winger Riyad Mahrez wasted two golden opportunities to break the deadlock and early finishing problems haunted them.
Jamal Sellami’s disciplined, compact defensive system saw Jordan ruthlessly punish the African side against the run of play. Nizar Al-Rashdan took advantage of a slick transition in the 36th minute to score a clinical finish past custodian Luca Zidane and give the underdogs a sensational 1-0 lead at the break.
Dead-Ball Magic Orchestrates Algeria Comeback
With an early exit looming, Petkovic pulled the triggers at half-time, bringing on Nabil Bentaleb and Nadhir Benbouali to make the side more vertical. The tactical gamble worked, as the Algerian team kept the Jordanian backline pinned in their own penalty area.
It was that pressure that finally bore fruit in the 69th minute when Jordan cracked. Mahrez atoned for his earlier misses with a beautifully weighted floated corner into the mixer, where Benbouali powered in a majestic header into the back of the net for his first ever international goal.
The Algerians pushed hard for a winner and had all the momentum on their side. The decisive breakthrough came in the 82nd minute, eight minutes from time. Another fine set-piece delivery, from substitute Anis Hadj Moussa this time, caused total chaos in Jordan’s six-yard box, where forward Amine Gouiri was the quickest to react and head home the decisive goal.
Algeria’s rearguard stood firm, and seven frantic minutes of stoppage time couldn’t conjure up an equaliser for Jordan. The dramatic victory puts Algeria on an equal footing with Austria on three points in Group J, setting up a blockbuster shootout on Matchday 3 for qualification.
Debayan Bhattacharyya is a seasoned sports journalist and digital media professional, currently serving as the Chief Sub Editor at ITV Digital (NewsX). A true Football-Fanatic Bong, his professional journey began at Zee Media, where he kicked off his career as a Sub-Editor for the sports team at India.com and CricketCountry. His ability to blend insightful analysis with rapid-fire news delivery soon led him to Times Network, where he served as a Senior Copy Editor for Times Now. Before his current role at NewsX, Debayan spent a significant tenure at OneIndia’s MyKhel as a Senior Sub Editor.
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