Man City 2026 World Cup Watch: Rayan Ait-Nouri and Algeria down Jordan in thrilling comeback win

Rayan Ait-Nouri and Algeria produced a dramatic second-half comeback to beat World Cup debutants Jordan 2-1 in Group J at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California, keeping their knockout stage ambitions firmly alive.

Jordan made a bright start and took a deserved lead in the 36th minute when Nizar Al Rashdan struck an eye-catching first-time finish past Algerian goalkeeper Luca Zidane – son of the legendary Zinedine – to give the Chivalrous Ones their first-ever lead in a World Cup match.

Algeria, despite dominating possession, looked toothless for much of the first half, with captain Riyad Mahrez spurning a couple of good chances, and the Desert Warriors headed into the dressing room trailing.

Djamel Belmadi‘s side emerged with far greater urgency after the break, and the turnaround began in the 69th minute when half-time substitute Nadhir Benbouali rose to head home from a Mahrez corner.

Algeria continued to press a tiring Jordan side and eventually snatched the winner in the 82nd minute, when Amine Gouiri prodded the ball home from close range following another corner, a goal that survived a VAR check for offside.

The victory was Algeria’s first at a World Cup since 2014, moving them level on points with Austria ahead of a potentially decisive Group J showdown between the two sides.

Jordan, meanwhile, are eliminated with a game to spare, though they can take pride in two spirited performances on the biggest stage in their debut tournament.

Rayan Ait-Nouri match statistics vs Jordan

Minutes Played – 85
Defensive Contributions – 7
Tackles (Won) – 6(5)
Interceptions – 1
Recoveries – 3
Ground Duels (Won) – 13 (9)
Last Man Tackles – 1
Fouls – 2
Touches – 88
Unsuccessful Touches – 3
Dribbles (Successful) – 3(1)
Was Fouled – 2
Possession Lost – 17
Total Carrying Distance – 251.7m
Carries – 28
Progressive Carries – 3
Total Progression – 146.5m
Expected Assists (xA) – 0.092
Crosses (Accurate) – 4(0)
Accurate Passes – 50/56 (89%)
Passes in Opposition Half (Accurate) – 29/32 (91%)
Passes in Own Half (Accurate) – 21/24 (88%)
Long Balls (Accurate) – 2/4 (50%)
Expected Goals (xG) – 0.06
Total Shots – 1

Data courtesy of Sofascore.