Algeria Bounce Back to Defeat Jordan 2-1
Algeria managed to turn around the game to defeat Jordan 2-1 in the Group J World Cup 2026 match at the San Francisco Bay Area Stadium, California. This win was Algeria's first after losing to Argentina in their opening match.
Jordan, making their debut in the World Cup, took the lead through a goal by Nizar Al Rashdan in the 36th minute. However, Algeria dominated the second half and equalized through a header by substitute Nadhir Benbouali in the 69th minute, assisted by a corner kick from Riyad Mahrez.
Algeria's winning goal came in the 82nd minute when Amine Gouiri scored from close range after Jordan's defense failed again to deal with a corner kick. The goal was confirmed after a VAR review due to concerns over an offside. Jordan tried to make a late comeback in the seven minutes of added time but failed, sealing their elimination from the World Cup.
Historic Comeback by Algeria
According to Opta statistics, Algeria had never won in 10 previous World Cup matches when they were trailing. That record ended with the winning goal in the 82nd minute, which was Algeria's last goal in regulation time in their World Cup history.
Riyad Mahrez, who is 35 years and 121 days old, became the oldest player to start a match for Algeria in the World Cup. This is the second time he has been in the starting lineup in this tournament, following his debut against Belgium in 2014. Mahrez created three chances and made seven key passes, the highest in the match.
Match Statistics
Jordan showed brilliant performance in the first half, producing a expected goals (xG) of 0.54, compared to only 0.46 in their first match overall. However, Algeria controlled the second half with 69.3% possession, 13 shots on goal compared to two by Jordan, and an xG of 1.19.
Nadhir Benbouali became the second Algerian substitute to score a goal in the World Cup after Abdelmoumene Djabou in 2014. He is also the first player to represent a Hungarian club to score a goal in the World Cup since Lajos Détári in 1986.
Jordan is now the first team to score in their first two World Cup matches since Ivory Coast in 2006. However, this loss ended their chances of advancing to the next round.
Implications for Group J
With this result, Argentina has been confirmed as the group winner, while Algeria is in a good position to join Argentina in the knockout stage. Jordan needs to beat Argentina in their final match to keep their slim chances alive, although it seems difficult given Argentina's strong performance.
This match shows how important experience and composure are in a tournament as big as the World Cup. Algeria, who lost to Argentina, bounced back to display solid performance when they needed a win. Jordan, on the other hand, needs to learn from their defensive mistakes, especially in dealing with corner kicks.
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*Original source: [theanalyst.com](https://theanalyst.com/articles/jordan-vs-algeria-stats-world-cup-2026)*