Algeria kept their World Cup hopes alive on Monday, overturning an early deficit with two second-half goals from corner kicks to secure a 2-1 victory over Jordan and strengthen their bid for a place in the knockout stage.
Substitute Nadhir Benbouali sparked the comeback when he headed home from a corner in the 69th minute. Amine Gouiri completed the turnaround with the winner in the 82nd minute, sealing Algeria's first World Cup victory since 2014.
"We deserved to win this game," Algeria coach Vladimir Petkovic said. "It certainly gives us a lot of confidence and belief ahead of our next match."
Jordan had taken the lead through Nizar Al Rashdan, whose first-half strike marked the country's first goal while leading in a World Cup match. But Algeria dominated after the break and eventually broke Jordan's resistance with sustained pressure and clinical finishing from set pieces.
The victory marked the first time Algeria had won a World Cup match after conceding the opening goal. The Algerians had previously gone winless in such situations, recording seven losses and two draws.
After bouncing back from a 3-0 loss to Argentina in its opening match, Algeria can finish second in Group J and clinch a spot in the knockout round with a victory over Austria on Saturday.
"The three points are the most important thing," midfielder Ibrahim Maza said. "I think we have more confidence going into the next game. We will fight even harder than today."
Jordan was eliminated from knockout-round contention after suffering its second straight loss. It opened with a 3-1 defeat to Austria but put forth a spirited effort in its first appearance on soccer's biggest stage.
"We didn't see a big difference in skill, except on corner kicks and set pieces," Jordan coach Jamal Sellami said. "I was proud of the performance of my players. Yes, the result is disappointing. We were hoping for a better result, but I'm happy with my players."
Momentum swung decisively after Benbouali equalized when Riyad Mahrez's corner kick found him in the middle of the penalty area. He powered a header into the corner beyond the reach of goalkeeper Yazeed Abulaila.
Algeria kept up the pressure and took the lead when Gouiri got a touch on a ball in the box that deflected off Abulaila and into the net, sparking celebrations among the Algerian fans behind the goal at Levi's Stadium.
"The team was much better at winning tackles and recovering the ball in the second half," Petkovic said. "We made far fewer mistakes, and that ultimately paid off."
