Jordan led a World Cup match for thirty-three minutes. That's the whole story and also not the story at all.

The thirty-three minutes were real: Nizar Al-Rashdan, in the 36th, took a Musa Al-Tamari ball and bent it home with the outside of his boot — the kind of finish you don't practice so much as permit yourself once a tournament — and for a stretch the rebranded "San Francisco Bay Area Stadium" (it's in Santa Clara; we've been over this) sounded like the second coming of the night Jordan lost to Austria and the place still roared. 68,371 in the building. Debutants, in front, at a World Cup.

Then Algeria remembered it had corners.

The tactical layer

Both Algerian goals came directly from set pieces, and both carried Riyad Mahrez's fingerprints. Benbouali headed home a Mahrez corner in the 69th to level it. Substitute Amine Gouiri bundled in another corner-born chance in the 82nd — survived a VAR offside check — to win it 2-1. That's not luck. Algeria put up 72% possession, 17 shots, 31 touches in Jordan's box, and still needed dead-ball moments to break a side that defended its 18-yard line like the lease was up.

Credit the bench, not the run of play. Algeria's Vladimir Petković made a double change at the half — Nabil Bentaleb and Nadhir Benbouali on, a shift to two forwards — and by the hour Jordan was drowning. The mirror image: Jordan's Jamal Sellami sat on his substitutions, reportedly waiting for the hydration break, and by the time the changes came the game had already turned. Two managers, one halftime, opposite instincts. That was the match.

And do this honestly: Mahrez is 35 years and 121 days old, the oldest player ever to start a World Cup match for Algeria. He missed two first-half one-on-ones, got hooked on 76 minutes — and still led everyone with seven crosses and the assists on both goals. The legs are going. The deliveries aren't.

What it means

Jordan is out. Two games, two losses (3-1 Austria, 2-1 Algeria), zero points, with only a dead rubber against Argentina left on June 27. Crown Prince Hussein came to the locker room afterward, which tells you what the run meant back home even if the table doesn't. First Arab nation to qualify for this field; first to go home from it. Both can be true.

Algeria, meanwhile, got its first World Cup win since 2014 — and its first ever after conceding first — and now sits level with Austria on three points. Group J:

• Argentina 6 — through
• Austria 3
• Algeria 3
• Jordan 0 — eliminated

So it comes down to Algeria vs. Austria, June 27, winner almost certainly taking second and the Round of 16. A real decider.

The line, and why I'm not on it

I pulled it. As of this morning Austria is the favorite to win in 90 — around +180 (2.80) — with Algeria a +285 dog (3.85 at BetOnline/Bovada) and the draw around +135 (2.35). Asian lines hover at pick-'em to Algeria +0.25.

Here's the honest part. I watched Algeria look toothless for an hour against a side that's now mathematically dead, rescued by two corners and a halftime gamble. I also know their leading qualifier scorer, Mohamed Amoura (10 in qualifying), wasn't even fit for the bench, and nobody's said when he's back. Austria put three on the same Jordan team Algeria needed 82 minutes to edge. That's a coin flip with a banged-up dog and a real favorite, and +285 is a price, not an edge.

I'm not sharp on this group, I'm not going to pretend I am, and I'm not putting a unit on a number I can't honestly grade as value. Line cited — analysis only, no bet. If Amoura's ruled in by midweek, ask me again. For now I'd rather be right about why this was a good game than wrong about a dog because the odds were pretty.

Jordan got thirty-three minutes. Algeria got the corners. Levi's gets one more Group J night on the 27th.