Bensebaini with an assist – Ryerson substituted early

Following their opening defeat in Group J, Algeria – with Ramy Bensebaini starting once again, as he did against Argentina – were already under pressure against Jordan. In the match in San Francisco, the Jordanians took the lead early on (36). Algeria got into the game better in the second half, first equalising through Nadhier Benbouali (69), before Amine Gouiri scored the much-celebrated winning goal in the 82nd minute following a headed lay-off from Bensebaini.

In the other match in Algeria’s group, Austria took on Argentina. Marcel Sabitzer started in attacking midfield for the Austrian side, who put up a good fight against the reigning world champions but suffered their first defeat after two goals from Lionel Messi (38/90+5). Carney Chukwuemeka came on in the closing stages with the score at 0-1 (85). In the third group match this coming Sunday (04:00 CEST), Algeria and Austria will face each other directly.

Meanwhile, in Group I, Norway celebrated their second win in their second match. The team beat Senegal 3-2 (1-0), thereby qualifying for the knockout stages before the final group match. In front of 80,663 spectators in East Rutherford, former Borussia Dortmund player Erling Haaland was the decisive figure on the pitch with a brace (48/58).

However, Julian Ryerson’s match came to an early end. The BVB player had to be substituted as early as the 13th minute and was replaced by Marcus Pedersen. The 28-year-old then watched the rest of the match from the bench with an ice pack on his right thigh. A diagnosis is still pending. This coming Friday (21:00 CEST), Norway will face France in their final group match. The head-to-head clash will decide who tops the group.