Jordan are flaunting a long line of credible results in recent matches, ahead of their clash with Nigeria’s Super Eagles on Tuesday, with the latest of the lot being their 2-2 draw with Costa Rica in Antalya, Turkey.
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Sports247 reports that the men from Jordan overcame the ill-fortune of not being able to host their own four-nation tournament on home soil, as they first netted twice and got very close to a historic win over the Central Americans.
It was a pulsating clash between the two squads, but Jordan, who have qualified for this year’s FIFA World Cup, went ahead through a 50th minute penalty by Baha’ Faisal, after which Ibrahim Mohammad Abdallah Sabra scored in the 76th.
Costa Rica then had to fight back gamely until the fading minutes of the game, with their pressure eventually paying off, as Osimar Alcócer pulled one back in the 84th minute and Warren Madrigal levelled scores a minute into added time.
The result, though, provided another reference point to a busy spree for Jordan, whose under-20 and under-23 squads are also in Turkey for the international break, but the biggest chunk of attention is on the senior side, who play Nigeria on Tuesday.
Heading into that game on the last day of their four-nation tournament, Jordan are already counting on experience gained from previous matches against African opposition and some of world football’s big squads, as they seek to beat Nigeria.
Incidentally, the men from Amman won a similar friendly against Nigeria 1-0 back in 2019, and they will also flaunt that result as another factor spurring them to victory over the Super Eagles once again on Tuesday.
A report by Jordan Times noted in part, “Team stars Mousa Ta’mari, Yazan Al Arab and others have joined the squad ranked 64th to face World No.26th ranked Nigeria, as coach Jamal Sellami tries to finalise his lineup.
“Without key players, Yazan Nue’imat and Adham Qurashi, who both underwent surgery for torn ACL. Also absent are Ali Alwan, who suffered a heel injury and team captain Ehsan Haddad, who has been out for the season.
“Also without Tamer Bani Odeh and Husam Smeiri, who excelled in the Arab Cup, the squad has regrouped in Turkey after Jordan Football Association (JFA) had to relocate the four-nation tourney they planned to host in Amman.
“However, with regional tensions escalating, the squad will assess the line-up after the current matches, before playing Switzerland on May 31 and Columbia on June 7 just ahead of the World Cup matches against Argentina, Algeria and Austria.
“In the past few months, Jordan’s World Cup preparations included friendlies in which they held Russia 0-0, beat the Dominican Republic 3-0, lost 1-0 to Bolivia and 4-2 to Albania, held Mali 0-0, and lost to 7-time World Cup qualifiers Tunisia 3-2.
“By finishing runner-up at the 2023 Asian Cup, followed by a historic first qualification to the 2026 World Cup in their seventh time in the qualifiers since 1986, Jordan booked their spot in the next edition of the 2027 Asian Cup as well.
“The Kingdom also finished runner-up to eventual champions Morocco at the 2025 FIFA Arab Cup in Qatar, despite missing many key players on the injury list or club duty including key striker Mousa Ta’mari (Stade Rennais FC- France).
“Others were Yazan Al Arab (FC Seoul, Korea), Mohammad Abu Al Nadi and Noor Rawabdeh (Selangor FC, Malaysia), Tamer Bani Odeh (West Bromwich Albion, England) and Ibrahim Sabra, on loan from Goztepe-Turkey to Lokomotiva Zagreb, Croatia.”
