Algeria rallies in second half, beats Jordan in World Cup thriller at Levi's Stadium
SANTA CLARA - Algeria waited a long time for its first goal of the World Cup.
The North African nation had suffered through a shutout loss to Lionel Messi's Argentina in the opening game of its first World Cup appearance since 2014 and trailed Jordan by a goal midway through the second half.
But once the first goal found the back of the net, Algeria was on its way to a win. A header from Nadhir Benbouali equalized in the 69th minute, then Amine Gouiri's tap-in provided the game-winner in the 82nd as Algeria won 2-1.
“It was difficult,” said 20-year-old Algerian midfielder Ibrahim Maza, who was named the man of the match. “But we had the upper hand in this game, and of course it was bad that we went into halftime behind. But yeah, we were patient, and we said, ‘We are going out to the second half patient, but doing a little bit more. We will score the goals,’ and now we’ve scored them. Three points is the most important thing.”
Jordan got on the board first in the 36th minute, when Mousa Al-Taamari set up Nizar Al-Rashdan with a perfect false touch – which looked like an unintentional mishit – giving the latter a clean berth to slot home a spinning ball with the outside of his right foot.
The attempt from Al-Rashdan just barely beat Algeria goalkeeper Luca Zidane, the son of legendary Algerian-French forward Zinedane Zidane, to his left amid traffic from multiple Algerian defenders in front of him in the box.
The Jordanian fans, who have been consistently boisterous across their pair of games in Santa Clara, erupted once again.
Among them were the king and crown prince of the Middle Eastern nation of 11.5 million, who made the trip for Jordan's second match of their first World Cup.
"We are so thankful for our fans," said midfielder Amer Jamous. "They are always behind us. We saw today, and even the game against Austria, they are always behind us and supporting us. The atmosphere was great, and this has given us a big motivation to be at this stadium.
"Here is the best place. It's the World Cup and the biggest stage, and the fans were incredible, whether our fans or the Algerian fans. And so thankful for all our people."
Algeria turned up the pressure in the second half and had multiple shots on goal that Jordan goalkeeper Yazeed Abulaila punched away, but a corner kick in the 69th minute proved to be the Jordanian keeper's kryptonite.
Longtime English Premier League player Riyad Mahrez served in a beautiful in-swinger from the near corner that connected with the head of Benbouali, leveling the score 1-1.
It was Algeria’s first goal in a World Cup match since Abdelmoumene Djabou scored in the 121st minute of a round of 16 loss to Germany in 2014.
Then after another Algerian wave of pressure, Gouiri tapped in a loose ball after a corner from Anis Hadj Moussa, Mahrez's replacement after the hydration break in the 76th minute, bounded loosely through the box.
Gouiri tapped in the ball off the leg of Abulaila from just a few feet away, giving Algeria its first lead.
The North Africans had dominated possession the entire game. As Gouiri hopped over the ad boards on the goal line and his teammates followed suit to celebrate with Algeria's supporter section, they finally had the payoff they were searching for.
With the win, Algeria now has three points in Group J, putting them in a strong position to advance with a game against Austria upcoming on Saturday. Jordan, which will face group leader Argentina on Saturday, has been eliminated from contention for the knockout round.
Jordan is one of many teams newly able to qualify for the World Cup with the expanded 48-team format, joining fellow debutantes Cape Verde, Curacao and Uzbekistan.
Algeria is making its fifth World Cup appearance and first since the 2014 edition of the tournament in Brazil.
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This story was originally published June 22, 2026 at 10:31 PM.