SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) 鈥� Algeria scored off two corner kicks in the second half to rally from an early deficit and defeat Jordan 2-1 on Monday to bolster its chances of advancing to the knockout round of the .
Second-half substitute Nadhir Benbouali headed in a corner kick in the 69th minute and Amine Gouiri provided the game-winner in the 82nd to give Algeria its first win at the World Cup since 2014.
鈥淲e deserved to win this game,鈥� Algeria coach Vladimir Petkovic said. 鈥淚t certainly gives us a lot of confidence and belief ahead of our next match.鈥�
The Jordanians had taken the lead for the first time at a World Cup on a first-half goal by Nizar Al Rashdan but couldn鈥檛 withstand the continual pressure from Algeria in the second half.
This marked the first time Algeria had ever won a World Cup game after conceding the first goal. The Algerians had seven losses and two draws previously when that happened.
Now, after bouncing back from a in its opening game, Algeria can finish second in Group J 鈥� and clinch a spot in the knockout round 鈥� with a win on Saturday against Austria.
鈥淭he three points are the most important thing,鈥� midfielder Ibrahim Maza said. 鈥淚 think we have more confidence to go to the next game. We will fight even more than today.鈥�
Jordan is out of contention for the knockout rounds following a second straight loss. It opened with a but put up a strong effort in its first appearance on soccer’s biggest stage.
鈥淲e didn鈥檛 see a big gap of difference when it comes to skills, except for the corner kicks and the set pieces,鈥� Jordan coach Jamal Sellami said. 鈥淚 was proud of the performance of my players. Yes, sad results. We were hopping for better results but I鈥檓 happy with my players.鈥�
Momentum clearly swung after Benbouali equalized when Riyad Mahrez鈥檚 corner kick found him in the middle of the box and he sent a header into the corner that Yazeed Abulaila couldn鈥檛 stop.
Algeria kept up the attack and took the lead when Gouiri got a touch on a ball in the box that deflected off Abulaila and into the net, setting off an Algerian celebration with their fans just behind the goal at Levi’s Stadium.
鈥淭he team was a lot better in winning the tackles and winning balls in the second half,鈥� Petkovic said. 鈥淲e made a lot fewer mistakes and that ultimately paid off.鈥�
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