Austria beats Jordan 3-1 for its first World Cup win in 36 years

SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — Austria won a World Cup game for the first time in 36 years with a 3-1 victory Tuesday over a Jordan team on debut at soccer’s premier global event.

An own goal from a corner kick that deflected off Jordanian defender Yazan Al Arab gave Austria a 2-1 lead in the 76th minute. Veteran striker Marko Arnautovic’s penalty kick deep in stoppage team extended the margin.

“This was a very intense evening, sometimes a little too intense,” Austria coach Ralf Rangnick said. “Jordan did an amazing job and made it very difficult for us. At the end of the day, we deserved to win but it was very difficult.”

The Group J game between a Jordanian team at the World Cup for the first time and an Austria squad back on soccer's biggest stage after missing the last six tournaments featured plenty of excitement.

It peaked in a stretch in the second half that featured an equalizer by Jordan and two balls sent into the net off corner kicks by Austria — with only one of those counting.

The 37-year-old Arnautovic had appeared to give Austria the lead when he fired in after a misplay by Jordanian goalkeeper Yazeed Abulaila. But the decision went to a VAR review and the referee called a hand ball on Stefan Posch in the lead up.

Austria got another corner kick shortly after the second-half hydration break and the took a 2-1 lead on Al Arab's own goal.

That proved to be the difference for Austria, which earned its first win at the World Cup since beating the United States in a group-stage match in 1990. Jordan fell short in its attempt to become the first country to win its World Cup debut game since Senegal did it in 2002 against defending-champion France.

“No one was expecting us to be that bold, to be that proactive and to be that capable of benefiting from the available opportunities,” Jordan coach Jamal Sellami said. “This was exactly the message we wanted to convey.”

Romano Schmid scored in the 20th minute for Austria when he capped off an impressive buildup that put the Jordanian defense on its heels. Xaver Schlager fed a pass to Schmid, who hit a perfectly struck right-foot shot from the edge of the area into the top corner of the net.

Ali Olwan tied it for Jordan in the 50th when made a long run into the box on a counterattack and beat Alexander Schlager with a right-foot shot that delighted the large contingent of Jordanian fans.

Posch injured his jaw later in the match and his status going ahead is in doubt.

Jordan will return to Santa Clara for its second match next Monday against Algeria, which lost 3-0 to Argentina in the first Group J match. Austria will face Lionel Messi and Argentina in the Dallas area that same day.

AP World Cup: https://apnews.com/fifa-world-cup

Austria goalkeeper Alexander Schlager catches the ball during the World Cup Group J soccer match against Jordan in Santa Clara, Calif., near San Francisco, Tuesday, June 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

Jordan's Yazan Alarab, right, scores on his own goal during the World Cup Group J soccer match against Austria in Santa Clara, Calif., near San Francisco, Tuesday, June 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

Austria goalkeeper Alexander Schlager (1) punches the ball against Jordan's Mousa Altamari (10) during the World Cup Group J soccer match between Austria and Jordan in Santa Clara, Calif., near San Francisco, Tuesday, June 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Eakin Howard)

Austria players celebrate after Jordan's Yazan Alarab scored on his own goal during the World Cup Group J soccer match in Santa Clara, Calif., near San Francisco, Tuesday, June 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

Austria's Marko Arnautovic, front, and Nicolas Seiwald celebrate after Jordan's Yazan Alarab scored on his own goal during the World Cup Group J soccer match in Santa Clara, Calif., near San Francisco, Tuesday, June 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

A business jet with six people on board crashed on a highway in Laredo, Texas, and caught fire Tuesday night, authorities said, killing one person and causing chaos as people left their vehicles to frantically try to smash the cockpit window and free those inside.

Drivers who came upon the burning plane, which was nearly sheared in half and tipped on its side, captured dramatic rescue scenes on video or rushed toward the aircraft on foot to help. Two people came running with a sledgehammer and shovel, which they used to strike the cockpit glass and try propping open the plane's door.

The plane crashed on the Loop 20 highway near the Texas-Mexico border shortly after 10 p.m., said Jose Baeza, an investigator with the Laredo Police Department. It was unclear if the person who died was on the plane or the ground.

Dashcam footage posted on social media showed the aircraft careening down the highway, taking out a light post before coming to a stop. It came to a rest not far from the Laredo International Airport.

“It looked like part of a movie. I was in shock,” said Zayra Garza, an esthetician who was driving her co-workers home when she came upon the crash.

No injuries on the ground were immediately reported, though five officers were taken to the hospital for smoke inhalation.

The plane was a Cessna Citation Latitude twin jet, according to information from FlightAware, an aviation tracking and data company. It departed from Los Cabos International Airport in Mexico at 6:19 p.m.

It's not clear what caused the crash as it reached Laredo, about 140 miles (225 kilometers) southwest of San Antonio. Laredo International Airport Director Gilberto Sanchez told KGNS TV in Laredo that the plane experienced a mechanical failure. He provided no details.

Video posted to social media showed the plane on its side, smashed into a highway barrier. The tail was ripped from the fuselage and laying mostly intact on a lower-level road beneath where the rescue was taking place.

Garza began shooting video as she approached the scene and then stopped her vehicle across from the crippled jet, which was on fire.

She saw someone inside the plane trying to break the cockpit window to escape. Soon, people got out of their vehicles to try to smash the window from the outside as the fire on the fuselage continues to burn.

Garza’s husband jumped out of their vehicle to help and Garza then saw the door of the plane open. She said three people who looked to be teenagers rushed out, followed by someone who appeared to be a pilot. Another member of the crew tried to pull out a person who seemed to be unconscious.

As smoke billowed from the plane, a firefighter used a small ladder to climb into the aircraft to rescue the remaining passenger, while others shot water out of a hose at the wreckage. Rescuers can be heard calling for a rope as others use rods to hold up the plane door.

Several times, officers helping prop open the door dart away from the plane and double over in coughing fits because of the intense smoke.

“What was worrying me was the fire,” she said. “I was concerned that it could have just exploded at any time.”

This was the third significant aviation accident in as many days. A B-52 crashed Monday during a test flight at Edwards Air Force Base in California and killed all eight people aboard, while on Sunday, 12 people were killed when a plane on a skydiving outing in Missouri crashed.

NetJets said in a statement that the crash involved one of its aircraft and it is working with authorities. NetJets is owned by Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway and allows people to buy part ownership in private jets.

People attempt to pull passengers out of a plane after it crashed on a highway Tuesday, June 16, 2026, in Laredo, Texas. (Zayra Garza via AP)

People attempt to pull passengers out of a plane after it crashed on a highway Tuesday, June 16, 2026, in Laredo, Texas. (Zayra Garza via AP)

A passenger, top, jumps out of a plane after it crashed on a highway as other people help Tuesday, June 16, 2026, in Laredo, Texas. (Zayra Garza via AP)