Before kick-off, Algeria and Jordan were under no illusions about the scale of the task ahead of them: Argentina’s 2-0 victory against Austria meant that defeat for the Jordanians would see them eliminated, while anything less than a win for the Algerians would significantly curtail their chances of progressing to the knockout stage of the .
The tension was palpable. “This match is crucial for both teams, and the pressure is just as intense,” said Algeria’s coach Vladimir Petkovic on the eve of the match.
However, the Algerians quickly overcame their early nerves and dominated the opening half-hour. Les Fennecs moved the ball well and Petkovic’s team looked much more likely to open the scoring than Jordan, whose attacking ambitions culminated in nothing more than a few harmless counter-attacks.
But then Nizar Al Rashdan conjured a goal almost out of nothing in the 36th minute to give Jordan the lead, prompting his team-mates to visibly grow in confidence as they made repeated forays into the opposition penalty area.
“Of course it was difficult to go in one down at the break,” explained Ibrahim Maza in his post-match interview with FIFA. “At half-time, we spoke that now we have to do even more, but we have to be patient still as we had the ball nearly the whole time, as we had the upper hand in the game. Our patience paid off and we took our chances.”
Petkovic knew exactly what needed to be said in the dressing room, and the 62-year-old also got his substitutions right: Hicham Boudaoui was replaced by Nadhir Benbouali, who headed his team level at the midway point of the second half to turn the game in Algeria’s favour.
Les Fennecs continued to play on the front foot, completing the turnaround with the winning goal just ten minutes later. "We deserved to win this game,” said Petkovic at the post-match press conference. “And it will certainly give us more confidence ahead of the next game.”
A win against Austria in the final group game would secure second place for the North Africans, but qualifying for the knockout stage will be anything but an easy task. However, Algeria will back themselves to build on the momentum generated by this comeback win and will do everything in their power to progress to the next round.
“You could see that we are always fighting, and that we never give up. It doesn’t matter if we go behind,” emphasised Maza. “We never stop battling.”
Sources: FIFA Official
