Austria secured their first World Cup victory in 36 years, defeating tournament debutants Jordan 3-1 in a tense Group J clash at Levi's Stadium in San Francisco on Wednesday.

Ralf Rangnick's side were far from convincing, requiring a fortunate own goal and a stoppage-time penalty to overcome a Jordan side that showed no signs of nerves on their maiden World Cup appearance.

Schmid's stunner sets the tone

Jordan nearly opened the scoring inside 90 seconds when captain Ehsan Haddad connected with a low volley from the angle, only to find the side netting. Austria then took the lead against the run of play when Romano Schmid curled an outstanding effort into the net from outside the box in the 21st minute — their only shot on target of the entire first half.

The response from Jordan was immediate and confident. Moments after falling behind, Ali Olwan struck the crossbar with a glancing header from a corner, a warning Austria failed to heed.

Jordan make history before Austria hit back

The Asian side made history early in the second half when Olwan curled a superb effort in off the post in the 50th minute — Jordan's first-ever World Cup goal — to deservedly level the match.

Austria looked to reassert themselves through three substitutions, and Marko Arnautovic thought he had restored the lead in the 67th minute with a close-range finish at a corner. However, a VAR review ruled the goal out after Stefan Posch was found to have handled the ball before it reached Arnautovic.

Austria did regain the lead on 76 minutes when Yazan Al Arab diverted the ball into his own net off his back while contesting an aerial challenge with Arnautovic at a corner.

Arnautovic seals it from the spot

Jordan were unable to find an equaliser and Austria made the result safe deep into stoppage time. In the 102nd minute, another VAR review determined that Saleem Obaid had blocked Arnautovic's shot with his arm, and Arnautovic stepped up to convert the penalty and put the result beyond doubt.

It marked a welcome return to the World Cup for Austria after a 28-year absence from the tournament. However, Rangnick's side face a steep test in their next Group J fixture when they take on holders Argentina — buoyed by Lionel Messi's hat-trick against Algeria — on Monday. Jordan, meanwhile, face Algeria next on Tuesday.