Austria marked their much-anticipated comeback to the World Cup finals by defeating determined newcomers Jordan 3-1, with substitute Marko Arnautovic proving the match-winner in a competitive Group J fixture.

Under cool conditions in the San Francisco Bay Area, Austria took the lead in the 21st minute through a powerful strike from Romano Schmid, only for Jordan to respond after the interval with a fine goal from Ali Olwan that struck the post before crossing the line.

Arnautovic entered at half-time and made an immediate impact for Austria. The experienced forward saw a goal disallowed in the 69th minute, forced an own goal from defender Yazan Al-Arab shortly afterwards and then added a stoppage-time penalty to seal the points.

Austria midfielder Konrad Laimer acknowledged the challenge posed by their opponents. He noted that the team expected a tough contest and highlighted periods where they performed well alongside others where improvement was needed, stressing the importance of maintaining belief throughout.

Jordan remained compact in defence and posed problems on the counter-attack, where the speed of forwards Olwan and Musa al-Taamari repeatedly tested an Austria side appearing at their first World Cup since 1998.

The contest began at a high tempo, with Jordan nearly scoring inside two minutes after a swift break that ended with captain Ehsan Haddad striking the side netting.

Austria gradually asserted control through Marcel Sabitzer and opened the scoring when Schmid curled a shot into the top corner from distance.

Jordan equalised five minutes after the restart as Olwan drove forward and unleashed an excellent finish that found the far post.

Austria believed they had regained the advantage when Arnautovic tapped in, but the effort was disallowed following a VAR review for handball by Stefan Posch.

The decisive moment arrived when Sabitzer's corner was turned into his own net by Al-Arab, and Arnautovic converted a late penalty to wrap up the result.

Jordan forward Olwan reflected that his side did not merit defeat in their historic first World Cup match and expressed confidence that the team could still advance after their remaining fixtures.