Jordan have embarrassed Australia by taking top spot in their World Cup qualifying group with an impressive 2-0 victory in Amman.

A penalty early in the second-half from defender Hasan Abdel Fattah, after Matt Spiranovic was judged to have brought down midfielder Hamza Al-Dardour, gave Jordan the lead. The home team held off the Socceroos and then Al-Dardour struck in the 84th minute to secure the win.

The win sees Jordan move top of Group B with 10 points, one point above the Socceroos, thanks to three victories and a draw.

The defeat is a major setback for Australia, who had looked mostly untroubled in their first three qualifiers against Kyrgyzstan, Bangladesh and Tajikistan. This was also Australia’s first defeat since South Korea beat them in the Asian Cup in January, and comes three years after Jordan also upset the Socceroos 2-1 in Amman.

Manager Ange Postecoglou described the 2-0 loss as disappointing but said his players “will learn from it”.

Postecoglou said Australia’s mission to qualify for the 2018 World Cup is still in their own hands with four games remaining.

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