Goals from Ahmed Kano and Juma Darwish helped Oman down Jordan 2-1 on Tuesday in a World Cup qualifier and significantly improve its chances of reaching the 2014 finals in Brazil.

After a scoreless first half, Kano broke the deadlock in the 62nd minute. Darwish doubled the lead in the 82nd before Jordan's Thaer al-Bawab pulled a goal back in the 90th.

The win was unexpected from the home side which has struggled in qualifying, and until the Jordan match was bottom of Group B. Jordan, in contrast, was a surprise second and coming off an upset win over Australia.

The win for Oman moves it into second behind Japan.