Goals from Nadhir Benbouali and Amine Gouiri secured a comeback win for Algeria, in the process eliminating Jordan.
Jordan 1-2 Algeria
Jordan goal: Al Rashdan (36) Algeria goals: Benbouali (69), Gouiri (82)
Algeria came from behind to defeat Jordan 2-1 and keep alive their hopes of a place in the next round at the FIFA World Cup 2026™, in the process ending debutant Jordan’s campaign after two games.
Both teams were desperate for a positive result at San Francisco Bay Area Stadium after tasting defeat in their opening matches, and while neither was able to carve out any clear opportunities in the opening exchanges it was Algeria who were the more proactive side.
Jordan maintained their concentration impressively though, and it was instead Jamal Sellami’s men who broke the deadlock in the 36th minute.
Mousa Al Tamari miscued and sliced the ball across the penalty area into the path of Nizar Al Rashdan, and he made a far cleaner connection on his effort to sweep home with the outside of his right boot.
It was now Algeria’s turn to stay composed, and after pinning Jordan back for a prolonged spell after the restart, Nadhir Benbouali headed them level from a 69th minute corner.
Amine Gouiri then completed the turnaround with eight minutes remaining, tucking in from close range after the ball fell to him at another corner.
Key stat
Algeria have now kept only one clean sheet in 15 FIFA World Cup matches. That came in the 0-0 draw against England in 2010.
Superior Player of the Match
Ibrahim Maza (Algeria)