Algeria 2 Jordan 1

The Jordanians who came into the match without a point from their opening match did all they could to frustrate the North African side, who also suffered a 3-0 defeat to Argentina in their first match, Lionel Messi got a hat trick effort that paid off in the 36th with a Nizar Al Rashdan goal which was literally a punishment for the costly mistake of Ramiz Zerrouki.

Though the Africans dominated played, it was the Asian side that would have scored as early as the first minute in the first half, but Al Rashdan header went wide off the bar. Amine Gouiri and Fares Chaibi of Algeria both came close but off the mark, while Riyad Mahrez was denied a goal by the goalkeeper Yazeed Abulaila.

After the break, Ibrahim Maza and Nadhir Benbouali efforts were thwarted by Abulaila. However, Algeria got a well-deserved equaliser in the 69th minute as Benbouali converted Mahrez’s corner into the net. The winner for Algeria came in the 82nd minute as Gouiri scored as a corner kick bounced to him.

The Algerians will play Austria in their last match, while Jordan will play Argentina who have already qualified for the next round. Though Austria loss their second game to Argentina 2-0, their 3-1 win against Jordan in their first match is enough to make them desire a win or draw against Algeria to improve their chances of qualifying to the next round.

Source: MRA