Jordanians held their heads high after Wednesday's 3-1 loss to Austria, with their team breaking a psychological barrier by scoring the kingdom's first goal in the World Cup and putting in a good showing against a more experienced opponent.
Jordan produced a quality display at the World Cup despite not gaining any points during the match in San Francisco. A Yazan Al Arab own goal and a Marko Arnautovic penalty late in the second half confirmed the defeat for Jamal Sellami's side, but the Jordanians spent much of the game on the front foot and looked good for a point after Ali Olwan's sublime strike cancelled out Romano Schmid's opener.
“At the start of the game it was obvious how nervous we were. It was like students taking a major exam,” said Jordanian supporter Rania Al Jammal. Like millions in the kingdom, she woke up early to watch the match at 7am local time.
“After Austria scored we became cohesive. The game should have ended 1-1, if not for the mistake by Yazan and the penalty at the end. It is saddening. We played very well, especially if you compare the resources of Austria and those of Jordan.”
Despite 15 years of economic stagnation exacerbated by the Iran war, football academies and infrastructure has continued to develop in Jordan, particularly in low-income areas. Six members of the national team play for clubs overseas, with the most prominent being winger Musal Al Taamari of French Ligue 1 side Rennes.
Amman resident Ramez said Al Taamari had “tried to go for glory too often” instead of passing the ball, and noted that the team was surpassed physically. “The tactical shortfalls of Jordan showed, but it was a great performance, and the symbolism of seeing the Jordanian fans and the flag in the stadium. We felt pride as a nation state,” he added.
Compared with some of the other Arab nations represented at the tournament, Jordan lacks a strong footballing tradition, and the team, which is ranked 63rd in the world, are considered underdogs in all of their fixtures.
Next, Jordan will play 28th-ranked Algeria, before finishing off the group stage with a match against reigning world champions Argentina, whose star man Lionel Messi scored a hat-trick in their opener on Tuesday.
Jordan supporter Raed Fares said the team may fare better against Argentina than the Algerian squad did, with the kingdom's team having “broken the fear” of playing against more established sides.
“They have gone through the threshold, and should be more relaxed now,” Mr Fares said. “Jordanian football has entered a new era, and we are proud, but we must not kid ourselves – it has become extremely difficult to go beyond the group stage.”
