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In a battle between two desperate teams who each lost their opener at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, Paraguay defeated Türkiye 1-0 at the San Francisco Bay Stadium. With the result, Paraguay kept alive its hopes of advancing to its group final against Australia.
Meanwhile, Türkiye are now disqualified from progressing after two difficult group stage matches. Türkiye dominated possession and shots every time, but couldn’t even score a goal. In this match, Paraguay had to play the entire second half with only 10 men.
Türkiye will now play for pride in its final against the USA, while Paraguay take on Australia with the winner guaranteed a place in the round of 16.
With the result, the USA won Group D. Here are my takeaways:
4. Galarza Strike Set the tone
(Photo by Dean Mouhtaropoulos/Getty Images)
After just 64 seconds, Paraguay took the lead on a stunning strike from Matías Galarza, who currently plays for Atlanta United in the MLS. Galarza didn’t even get into the game for Paraguay in its opening 4-1 loss to the United States, but head coach Gustavo Alfaro needed a shake-up.
In a game where both teams needed to be aggressive from the start, Galarza set the tone for the entire game with a low shot from outside the box that beat Türkiye goalkeeper Ugurcan Çakir. It was a great play by Galarza as it looked like he was going to make a pass into the box, only to look up and see a clear shot that he took. It was the fastest goal scored at this World Cup so far.
From there, it required Türkiye to step up and become aggressive with a very high line and relentless pressure. It also sent Paraguay into an even more defensive mindset, and it was Paraguay who would then turn the game into a grind.
That’s pretty much how it continued to play out. Türkiye dominated possession and chances, but again, as it did against Australia, could not generate enough dangerous chances. The closest it came in the first half was when captain Hakan Çalhanoğlu sent a free kick into the box which found Mert Müldür whose header hit the crossbar and then the post in a single shot.
Paraguay were occasionally able to launch counter-attacks through long balls that tested Türkiye’s high line, but those changes were few and far between.
3. Almiron’s red card
(Photo by Eric Verhoeven/Soccrates/Getty Images)
One of the most important moments of the match occurred in first-half stoppage time when veteran Paraguay midfielder Miguel Almiron covered his mouth to say something to Müldür. Immediately after, Müldür went to the referee to indicate that Almiron was covering his mouth to say something.
This is a new rule from FIFA and the players were all informed about it prior to the tournament. Players were not allowed to say anything to an opponent while covering his mouth. Referee Iván Barton from El Salvador then went to the VAR monitor and immediately sent Almiron off. It made for a very significant night for the Atlanta United players with Galarza’s goal and Almiron’s red card.
This rule is new to many players and many fans, but Almiron had no excuse for this incident as all players were informed and his offense was as clear as possible.
Almiron is one of the most experienced players in Paraguay’s team with 77 caps and years in the Premier League. In a must-win game against a talented opponent, Almiron put his team in a terrible position, and a player with such an extensive history in the game should have known better.
2. Turkey’s ineptitude, Paraguay’s defense
(Photo by Bob Kupbens/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
In Türkiye’s opening 2-0 loss to Australia, the statistics were stunning in how they pointed to Türkiye’s inability to turn possession into dangerous chances.
In that game, Türkiye held a 72-28% possession advantage while outshooting Australia 30-9. Türkiye had a 51-18 edge in touches inside the opposite box. Even with these numbers, Türkiye was unable to find the back of the net.
Against Paraguay, the statistics were even more lopsided, especially against an opponent who was down to 10 men.
When this World Cup ends and the analysts break down the best stories that came out of this tournament, Türkiye’s offensive ineptitude is surely near the top. It’s hard to find a team that dominated its first two games to this extent, had chance after chance (including a half against a team with 10 men) who lost both games without scoring a goal.
The statistics were almost hard to believe. 63 shots across two games and no goals.
Going into this tournament, there were high expectations that Türkiye could make it in the knockouts. This was the team’s first appearance in the tournament since 2002, when they finished third. This generation of Turkish players has shown a lot of promise, but will now leave in a great way.
At the back, Paraguay’s defense was remarkable for almost the entire 90 minutes. Even before Almiron was sent off, Paraguay were beaten back. But in the second half, Paraguay held firm through a disciplined approach with committed team defense and a first-class effort that required a lot of character. At times Paraguay were lucky and at times Orlando Gill made a great save.
Paraguay’s World Cup hopes depended entirely on defensive efforts for almost an entire game. Against a lot of odds they held on and deserved the win.
1. Group D Finals
With this result, Türkiye is now disqualified from advancing to the knockout stage. That doesn’t mean it’s not a very talented team. Its young players are elite. Arda Güler is one of the best young players in the world and Kenan Yildiz, 21, has been impressive for Juventus. But this will be a bitter pill and an experience full of lessons to learn.
Türkiye still has one more game to play at the World Cup next week against the USA. That game doesn’t matter in the standings, but it will be interesting to see the pride Türkiye plays in that game. It will be important for its future to play hard and leave with an effort that can restore pride in the team.
Meanwhile, Paraguay and Australia meet in a dramatic match where the winner will finish second and advance. The loser, meanwhile, is in danger of going home.
