An all-Arab encounter brought day 13 of the 2026 FIFA World Cup to a close, with Jordan and Algeria going head-to-head in a Group J clash at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara.
After taking the lead shortly before half time, Jordan were unable to hold on after the break, as Algeria capitalized on their opponents’ longstanding struggles defending set pieces to claim a 2-1 victory.
Both sides had a statement to make at kick off, with this being a must-win game heading into the final matchday. Inside the first 60 seconds, Nizar Al-Rashdan’s header from a set piece drifted just wide of Luca Zidane’s goal, before Amine Gouiri’s run into the box saw him fire into the side netting less than two minutes later.
Jordan set up in their typical 5-4-1 formation, relying on a compact shape and looking to build on the counterattack. The issue lay in Mousa Al-Tamari’s lone presence up front, with Jordan’s deep defensive line meaning they could not support him efficiently in transition.
This was evident in the 12th minute, when Al-Tamari could only muster a long-range effort that was comfortably saved by Zidane after a quick counter.
To combat this deep block, Algeria looked to exploit through Hicham Boudaoui’s long passes over the Jordanian back line. Twice they found Riyad Mahrez, and twice they threatened Yazeed Abulaila’s goal.
In the 20th minute, Mahrez failed to capitalize after hesitating to shoot before Yazan Al-Arab intercepted the ball. In the 33rd minute, the Al-Ahli winger did get his shot away, but Abulaila was able to push the ball behind for a corner.
However, in the 40th minute, it was Jordan that ended up taking the lead. A misplaced switch from Ramiz Zerrouki was intercepted by Mohannad Abu Taha, who combined with Al-Tamari as he drifted centrally.
As Abu Taha laid the ball off, Al-Tamari’s attempted shot was perfectly misdirected into the path of Al-Rashdan, who coolly finished with the outside of his foot beyond Zidane.
Jordan fell deeper into their shape in the second half, allowing Algeria to dominate possession. Breaking them down, however, proved difficult for the Desert Warriors. Most of their chances came through the young Ibrahim Maza, who used his dribbling ability to break through the Jordanian midfield and drive into the box.
In the 54th minute, his effort from range was saved by Abulaila, before he fired just over the bar after weaving through the Jordanian defense at the hour mark. But Jordan’s kryptonite would come back to haunt them just before the hydration break. Defending set pieces has long been a weakness of this Jordanian side, and in the 69th minute, Mahrez’s cross found Nadji Benbouali, who rose above three defenders to head home the equalizer. Jordan’s weakness was again exploited in the 82nd minute. Anis Hadj Moussa, Mahrez’s replacement, delivered a pinpoint cross to Ramy Bensebaini, whose header across goal was met by Gouiri. The striker reacted quickest to turn the ball into the net from close range. Jordan’s players immediately appealed for offside, believing Gouiri had strayed beyond the last defender. However, a VAR review confirmed the goal, with the offside graphic showing
the Algerian forward to be onside.