4 Takeaways From Austria's Win vs. Jordan In Its Return To The World Cup

In a game that featured plenty of end-to-end action and a contrast of playing styles, Austria defeated Jordan 3-1 to move to the top of Group J alongside Argentina. Jordan played quick and direct from the start, and it clearly was effective against Austria. Ultimately, Austria was able to gain control late through its substitutes. 

For the Austrians, it marked a triumphant return to the World Cup after a 28-year absence. 

Here are my four takeaways from the game:

What made this game entertaining from the opening whistle was that it was a clash of different styles. Jordan manager Jamal Sellami selected a roster with a lot of pace with a game plan: sit back, wait for turnovers, and attack very directly in transition. Jordan was not interested in completing a lot of passes in possession. Instead, its possessions were immediately towards goal. 

Meanwhile, the Austrian national team has been one of Europe’s most improved teams over the last four years and that is completely due to head coach Ralf Rangnick, who is arguably the most influential German manager of his generation. It is his counter-pressing (or Gegenpressing) style which influenced Thomas Tuchel, Jürgen Klopp, and Julian Nagelsmann. 

Rangnick’s counter-pressing system is oriented around whenever his team loses possession, his players immediately and aggressively move to regain the ball as opposed to retreating into a defensive formation. The goal is to win the ball high up the pitch while the opposing team is not set. This then creates openings. 

This clash of styles created a wild first half where Austria had a 65-34% edge in possession, but Jordan had the edge in shots, 8-6. 

In the second half, that continued as Jordan was as direct as possible while Austria lived on the edge in not getting into defensive shape when it lost possession. 

These different tactics led to goals that accurately reflect the styles of the teams. 

Austria struck first with a goal that took a lot of quality. Frustrated by Jordan’s pressing, Austria began playing with one touches and combination plays through the midfield. In the 20th minute, Xaver Schlager received the ball in the attacking third and played it to Romano Schmid, who only had a brief window to shoot but hit a brilliant shot through the defense and into the top of the net for a 1-0 lead. 

In the second half, Jordan equalized by forcing an Austrian turnover and then rushing into a direct counterattack right at the goal. Once again, Olwan was the driving force behind the chance, and he was able to beat Austrian goalkeeper Alexander Schlager (no relation to midfielder Xaver Schlager) with a right-footed shot. 

Ultimately, Austria was able to move ahead through a set piece and then a penalty that was helped by the substitutes.

Marko Arnautović remains undisputed leader of Austria’s attack at age 37. In a World Cup full of aging stars, Arnautović is the national team’s all-time leader in caps and goals. With Austria having been a non-factor on the international scene for most of the past three decades, this was Arnautović’s World Cup debut. Known for his powerful style, he is still the leader of Austria’s attack and in 2025, he scored eight goals in nine appearances for Austria.

Arnautović did not start this game because of a slight knee injury, but with Jordan playing effective soccer in the first half, Rangnick brought Arnautović into the game to start the second half. 

The Vienna native made the most of his World Cup debut. In the 75th minute, he appeared to have scored a goal to put Austria up, but VAR ruled it off for a very close handball call. Then almost immediately afterward, Arnautović made the play that forced an own-goal from Jordan's central defender Yazan Abu Al-Arab. 

Then in stoppage time, Arnautović was part of a play that resulted in a Jordanian handball in the box for a penalty. Arnautović then stepped up for his 48th international goal in his 134th cap. 

With an average age of 28.6, Austria is one of the oldest teams at this World Cup. With players like Arnautović, the veteran experience certainly helped.

Olwan was everywhere for Jordan in this game. He had four shots, he had successful dribbles, and ultimately, he had the goal. The 26-year-old winger currently plays for Al-Sailiya in Qatar, and he has been important for Jordan with 27 goals from 58 games. 

In this game, Olwan lost the ball a few times as he immediately went to the goal whenever he received it but at other times, he was simply explosive and impossible to contain. 

For Austria, there were several good performances, but goalkeeper Alexander Schlager was particularly impressive in the first half as he made several big saves when Jordan was pressing hard. Ultimately, that was a major reason why they won.

For all the teams in this group, there is the Messi factor. Earlier in the day, Argentina cruised past Algeria 3-0 and set the tone that Argentina is going to be very difficult to stop in Group J and that goal differential is going to be important. 

Austria now has three very valuable points before they have to face Argentina in the next game. That will then set up a more manageable group stage finale against Algeria. 

For Jordan, this was a tough loss as it seemed like a result was within reach after its equalizer. The team played well and its effort was admirable. To advance, Jordan must defeat Algeria in its next game. Needing a win over Argentina in the group stage finale is not a good place to be.