Trailing and staring at elimination, Vladimir Petkovic’s Fennecs turned the game on its head to beat Jordan (2-1) overnight Monday-to-Tuesday at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara. A win forged on set pieces that keeps Algeria alive in Group J and sends a brave Jordan side crashing out.
For long stretches, it looked as if Algeria would relive their Argentine nightmare. Too slow, too passive, Petkovic’s men ran into a disciplined Jordanian block that smothered every supply line to the front three. Worse still, on one of Jordan’s rare forays forward, a botched clearance from Ramiz Zerrouki let Nizar Al Rashdan curl a shot beyond Luca Zidane with the outside of his boot (36′). Riyad Mahrez twice spurned golden chances one-on-one, and the Desert Foxes went in at the break with their backs to the wall. The turning point came from the bench: Petkovic threw on Bentaleb to steady the midfield and Benbouali for presence in the box. From a Mahrez corner, the substitute headed home the equaliser (69′), and ten minutes from time Amine Gouiri bundled in the winner, again from a set piece (82′).
Joy returned to Algiers — and to the cafés of Marseille, Lyon and Saint-Étienne where the diaspora held its breath. Those three points pull Algeria level with Austria, setting up a winner-takes-second showdown on the final matchday, overnight Saturday-to-Sunday. Up top, Lionel Messi’s Argentina have already booked their place. Jordan bow out at their very first World Cup, but with heads held high after daring to rattle a far more seasoned nation. The Fennecs now know one thing: they will need a sharper, braver display if they want their American adventure to continue.