Algeria beats Jordan 2:1 – Austria needs a draw

The surprising lead for the Jordanians resulted from a misplaced pass by Ramiz Zerrouki in front of his own penalty area, which the Algerian defense could no longer clear. Subsequently, Mussa al-Taamari delivered a cross, and Nizar Al-Raschdan finished in the 36th minute with the outside of his boot to make it 1:0 for the underdogs.

Double change at the break

Algeria responded with a double substitution at the break: Nadhir Benbouali and Zerrouki, the player responsible for the opposition goal, were brought into the match. The North Africans pushed forward thereafter, but Riyad Mahrez squandered a clear chance early in the half when the ball was taken off his foot following a through ball. Even after the restart, the 35-year-old captain failed to beat the Jordanian goalkeeper Yazeed Abulaila.

The drought was broken in the 69th minute: a corner from captain Mahrez found the head of Benbouali, who headed home the equalizer. "Zwei Eckbälle brachten Entscheidung," the coverage described the turning point of the match. "Algerien die bestimmende Mannschaft, ohne dabei aber Gefahr auszustrahlen" – that had been the observation before the equalizer.

Shortly after, in the 82nd minute, the decisive goal fell: once again an Algerian corner sailed into the Jordanian penalty area, and Amine Gouiri, who had come on as center forward from Olympique Marseille, scored from close range. The goal stood after a VAR review for a possible offside.

Jordan eliminated early

Jordan, who had lost 1:3 to Austria in their opening group match and remained pointless in this game as well, is therefore eliminated early as the group cellar-dwellers. "Jordanien kann den letzten Tabellenplatz in Gruppe J dagegen sogar bei einem Sensationserfolg gegen Titelverteidiger Argentinien nicht mehr verlassen." For the World Cup newcomers, the knockout round is "außer Reichweite" – "Die K.o.-Runde indes außer Reichweite."

Algeria lifted their points tally to three after the opening defeat against Argentina (0:3) and are thus back in the race for progression to the next round. "Die Mannschaft von Trainer Vladimir Petkovic siegte im arabischen Duell nach Rückstand noch mit 2:1 (0:1)." It was "Algeriens erster WM-Sieg seit zwölf Jahren" and the perfect start to the decisive phase of the group stage.

Situation ahead of the final

The situation before the final group match on Sunday (kick-off in the night from Saturday to Sunday at 4:00 a.m. CEST/live ORF 1) in Kansas City is therefore clear: Argentina have secured first place in Group J as defending champions. Austria and Algeria follow with three points each in second and third. "Im Kampf um Platz zwei in Gruppe J bekommt es Österreich … mit Algerien zu tun."

"Dabei reicht Rot-Weiß-Rot ein Remis." Because the Austrian team has a significantly better goal difference than Algeria from the match against Jordan, a draw would be enough to leapfrog into second place. For Algeria, the final means that only a win secures progression; in the event of points being level, the new rule of the 2026 World Cup would apply, which puts the head-to-head record ahead of goal difference.

This new method of counting had already affected Turkey around Can Uzun (Eintracht Frankfurt), who were eliminated despite the same points tally as a rival. "Und die beiden betroffenen direkten Vergleiche hat die Türkei verloren." "Anders als bei der WM in Katar 2022 zählt bei Punktgleichheit zuerst der direkte Vergleich und dann erst die Tordifferenz."

Looking at the Algeria squad, several Bundesliga professionals stand out: Fares Chaibi of Eintracht Frankfurt played the full 90 minutes against Jordan. Captain Riyad Mahrez (35) belongs to the circle of experienced players but was unable to make any decisive impact against the defensive Jordanians. Mohamed Amoura (VfL Wolfsburg) was missing through injury. Also called up from the Bundesliga: Ramy Bensebaini (Borussia Dortmund) and Ibrahim Maza (Bayer Leverkusen), who tested Abulaila with a header in the 63rd minute.

Bundesliga professionals in focus

On the Austrian side, the new rule offers both chances and risks. A draw secures second place and thus qualification for the knockout round. A defeat, on the other hand, would mean elimination, provided Argentina beat Jordan. Looking at previous performances, Austria should approach the match with confidence: the 3:1 against Jordan and the 1:1 opener against Argentina have shown that the team is capable of holding its own even against stronger opponents.

Alongside the action in Group J, coverage surrounding Eintracht Frankfurt is making headlines: the former coach Albert Riera had described his time on the Main in the Slovenian broadcaster Sportklub as "Wir waren einfach nicht füreinander bestimmt" – a "big misunderstanding". The Bosnian said on his own account that he had no influence on squad planning and would not want to take any SGE player to his next team. At his former club NK Celje in Slovenia, he sees more players he would bring in.

Eintracht Frankfurt: squad planning underway

While the Frankfurt officials around sporting director Markus Krösche are planning the squad for the coming season, several names are on the list. According to Sky, the club are watching Ismael Badjie (VfL Osnabrück, 20, nine goals this season) and Louey Ben Farhat (Karlsruher SC, 19, six goals and two assists in 20 league games). Osnabrück are said to be demanding around three million euros for Badjie. According to Bild, a move for center back Hrvoje Smolcic to Turkish promoted side Corum FK is also in the offing; the fee is said to be between one and 1.5 million euros.

On Sunday in Kansas City, it will be seen whether Austria takes advantage of the favorable situation. Algeria travel with the tailwind of their first World Cup win in twelve years and want to decide the group on their own merit rather than relying on results elsewhere. "Anders als bei der WM in Katar 2022 zählt bei Punktgleichheit zuerst der direkte Vergleich und dann erst die Tordifferenz" – this rule could still spark discussion at the end of Group J.