Salami: Jordan played better against Algeria.

Jamal Al-Salmi, the head coach of the Jordanian national football team, expressed his happiness and pride in his players' performance in the match that the "Nashama" lost to Algeria 1-2 today, Tuesday, in the second round of the group stage of the 2026 World Cup, held in North America, and he criticized the referee of the match.

Al-Salmi said in statements to "beIN Sports" after the match: "We had a great match against a great team that includes many outstanding players, including Riyad Mahrez and Ibrahim Maaza."

The Moroccan coach added: "We were exceptional in defense and ball possession, and we succeeded in closing all the paths leading to the goal."

He continued: "I am proud and happy with the players' performance. We scored a goal and could have scored a second at the beginning of the second half. Mistakes are part of football, and we conceded two goals from set pieces, which is the point we had worked on before."

Al-Salmi criticized the referee for the significant delay in announcing the water break, which would have allowed him to make adjustments and provide instructions to the players before Algeria equalized.

Despite the loss that means elimination, the head coach of the "Nashama" confirmed that they played better against Algeria compared to the first match they lost to Austria 1-3, which was marked by confusion and pressure from the players.

Jamal Al-Salmi confirmed: "I am happy with what I presented for Jordan, I congratulated the players and told them there is nothing to regret. The performance against Algeria will give us confidence before facing Argentina and Messi, the all-time top scorer in the World Cup. We hope to deliver a better match."