SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) – Algeria recovered from an early deficit with two corner kicks in the second half to beat Jordan 2-1 on Monday and improve its chances of advancing to the knockout stages. world cup.
Second-half substitute Nadir Benbouari headed a corner kick in the 69th minute, and Amin Gouiri scored the winning goal in the 82nd minute, giving Algeria their first World Cup victory since 2014.
“We deserved to win this game,” said Algeria coach Vladimir Petkovic. “It definitely gives us a lot of confidence and belief going into the next game.”
Jordan took the lead for the first time in the World Cup with Nizar Al Rashdan’s goal in the first half, but could not withstand Algeria’s continued pressure in the second half.
This was the first time Algeria won after conceding the first goal in a World Cup. Before that happened, the Algerians had seven losses and two draws.
Now, after bouncing from, 3-0 Argentina If Algeria wins their opening game against Austria on Saturday, they can finish Group J in second place and secure a place in the final round.
Midfielder Ibrahim Maza said, “Three points are the most important.” “I think we can go into the next match with confidence. We will fight even harder than we did today.”
Jordan lost two games in a row and was out of contention to advance to the final tournament. opened with Lost to Austria 3-1 However, he did well in his first appearance on soccer’s biggest stage.
“Aside from corner kicks and set pieces, we didn’t see a big difference in terms of skill,” Jordan coach Jamal Selami said. “I was proud of the players’ performance. Yes, it was a disappointing result. I expected a better result, but I’m happy for the players.”
Benbouari equalized after Riyad Mahrez’s corner kick and then headed in the center of the box, but Yazeed Abulaira was unable to stop it.
Algeria continued to attack and Gouiri touched the ball inside the penalty area, which hit Abraira and went into the goal to take the lead. Algeria’s celebrations with the fans began immediately after the goal at the Levi’s Stadium.
“The team was much better in the second half at winning tackles and winning the ball,” Petkovic said. “We made a lot less mistakes and it paid off in the end.”
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AP World Cup: https://apnews.com/fifa-world-cup
