Rangnick: The Pressure to Win Affected Us

Austria's head coach, Ralf Rangnick, believes his team's 3-1 victory over Jordan was fully deserved, though he admitted the opponent proved tougher than anticipated. This match marked the World Cup opener for both sides.

"We had to put in a lot of effort. Jordan really made things difficult for us. It took us quite a while to settle into the game. We only started finding our rhythm after the midway point of the second half. The pressure of participating in the World Cup is palpable; there's a different energy. This match held more significance for us than for Jordan. We were the favorites and absolutely had to secure the win. That also played a small part. Ultimately, however, we deserved the victory," Rangnick commented to Austrian television ORF after the match.

"I knew Jordan would perform well, but they played much stronger than we expected," he added, as quoted by BTA.

The coach praised the players who came off the bench after halftime. Among them was veteran Marko Arnautović, who sealed the 3-1 scoreline with a penalty in the dying seconds. Earlier, a goal of his was disallowed due to a handball by the assisting Stefan Posch, confirmed by VAR. Arnautović also significantly influenced the Asian side's own goal for 2-1; following a corner kick, he challenged Yazan Al-Arab, and the ball deflected off the defender into the net.

"Our substitutions today also helped us immensely. Their introduction raised the quality of our play. This allowed us to see some important things. This success is certainly a big step towards qualifying for the round of 16. Any start with a win is a good one. But we immediately begin thinking about our next match against Argentina. Earlier today, we saw the class Argentina possesses. They control the ball exceptionally well, and it will be very tough," Rangnick stated.

The match against Lionel Messi and company is scheduled for June 22 at 8:00 PM Bulgarian time.

All World Cup matches are broadcast live on bnt.sportal.bg. The platform will stream all 104 games from the World Cup 2026 schedule in real-time.