Austria vs Jordan: Winners & losers - Arnautovic seals it from the spot

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GOAL

·17. Juni 2026

Austria vs Jordan: Winners & losers - Arnautovic seals it from the spot

Austria edged past World Cup debutants Jordan 3–1 in Santa Clara, but the scoreline flattered the European side who needed an own goal and a stoppage-time penalty to pull away after Ali Olwan wrote Jordan into history with their first World Cup goal. GOAL breaks down the winners & losers from Austria v Jordan.

Winners

Marko Arnautovic (Austria)

Arnautovic made a decisive impact after replacing Sasa Kalajdzic at half-time, ultimately sealing Austria's victory with a penalty conversion in the 102nd minute. At 37 years old, the substitute striker finally registered his first World Cup goal, sending Yazeed Abulaila the wrong way and firing low into the left corner.

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Austria's all-time leading scorer was involved in several key moments beyond his goal. He had an earlier strike disallowed following a VAR review for Stefan Posch's handball in the build-up, and forced a good save from Abulaila with a left-footed effort in the 92nd minute.

His movement and physicality immediately improved Austria's attacking threat compared to the ineffective first half. The penalty arrived after his shot was blocked by Saleem Obaid's arm inside the box, rewarding his persistence and securing three points in Austria's first World Cup match since 1998.

Ali Olwan (Jordan)

Olwan etched his name into Jordan's football history by scoring the nation's first ever World Cup goal in the 50th minute. He received the ball from Noor Al-Rawabdeh on the counter-attack, drove into the box, and struck a right-footed shot that clipped the inside of the post before nestling in the net.

The striker was a constant threat throughout the match. Earlier in the first half, he headed against the crossbar from a corner with the score at 1–0, coming agonisingly close to an equaliser. He also forced an excellent save from Alexander Schlager with a right-footed effort at 35 minutes.

Even after scoring, Olwan continued to trouble Austria's defence. He beat his marker with skill and shot in the 56th minute, only for David Alaba to slide across and block. His relentless running and finishing ability gave Jordan genuine belief they could claim a point before late drama intervened.

Loser

Sasa Kalajdzic (Austria)

Kalajdzic endured a difficult first half that saw him replaced at the interval by Arnautovic. Despite his two-metre frame, he lost almost every aerial duel against Jordan's smaller but well-organised central defenders, failing to provide the target-man presence Austria desperately needed.

His attempts to hold the ball up were repeatedly dispossessed, offering minimal contribution to Austria's build-up play. A long-range effort in first-half stoppage time sailed harmlessly over the bar without troubling the goalkeeper, summing up his frustrating 45 minutes.

The half-time substitution reflected a poor individual display that offered little attacking threat. Arnautovic's immediate impact after replacing him highlighted just how ineffective Kalajdzic had been, as Austria's front line finally began to function once the change was made.