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Sellami: Inexperience cost Jordan
Santa Clara: Jamal Sellami admitted inexperience was the major reason for Jordan's 2-1 defeat to Algeria in their FIFA World Cup 2026 Group J tie on Monday.
The tournament debutants took the lead through Nizar Al Rashdan in the 36th minute but Algeria hit back in the second half through Nadhir Benbouali and Amine Gouiri, with the defeat consigning Jordan to an early exit.

Head coach Sellami said he was proud of his players despite the defeat as they showed resilience to match Algeria after their opening match loss to Austria.

"Generally speaking, we had a great match, and we should be proud of our ⁠performance. Very first experience in the ​World Cup, we were better than the first match," said Sellami.
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The Moroccan tactician admitted his side couldn't cope with Algeria's second-half substitutions.

"The ‌Algerian team did some substitutions that might have made a difference. They had a very tall ⁠offensive player ... I think our lack of experience ​allowed them ‌to score from two corner kicks when we were ⁠waiting to ​make our own substitutions with the cooling break.

"Now for us facing Argentina (on Saturday) is an opportunity. It's an opportunity for ⁠us to perform well and leave a great mark worthy of Jordanian football."

Photos: FIFA via Getty Images