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In a game between two desperate teams that each lost their opener at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, Paraguay defeated Türkiye 1-0 at San Francisco Bay Stadium. With the result, Paraguay kept its hopes of advancing alive into its group finale against Australia.
Meanwhile, Türkiye is now disqualified from advancing after two group stage games that are hard to comprehend. Türkiye dominated possession and shots each time, but could not even score a goal. In this game, Paraguay had to play the entire second half with just 10 men.
Türkiye will now play for pride in its finale against the United States while Paraguay will take on Australia with the winner guaranteed a spot in the round of 32.
With the result, the United States won Group D. Here are my takeaways:
1. Galarza Strike Set The Tone
After just 64 seconds, Paraguay took the lead on a stunning strike from Matías Galarza, who currently plays for Atlanta United in MLS. Galarza did not even get into the game for Paraguay in its opening 4-1 loss to the United States, but head coach Gustavo Alfaro needed to shake things 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 from Galarza as it appeared as if he was going to make a pass into the box only to look up and see a clear shot which he took. It was the quickest goal scored at this World Cup, so far.
From there, it demanded Türkiye 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 then wanted to turn the game into a grind.
That is largely how it continued to play out. Türkiye dominated possession and chances but again, as it did against Australia, it could not generate enough dangerous chances. The closest it came in the first half was when captain Hakan Çalhanoğlu lofted a free kick into the box, which found Mert Müldür, whose header hit the crossbar and then the post on a single shot.
Paraguay was occasionally able to launch counterattacks through long balls that tested Türkiye’s high line, but those changes were few and far between.
2. Almiron’s Red Card
One of the most important moments in the game occurred in first half stoppage time when veteran Paraguay midfielder Miguel Almiron covered his mouth to say something to Müldür. Immediately afterward, Müldür went to the referee to indicate Almiron covered his mouth to say something.
This is a new rule from FIFA and players were all informed about it prior to the tournament. Players were not allowed to say something to an opposing player while covering his mouth. Referee Iván Barton of El Salvador then went to the VAR monitor and immediately sent Almiron off. It made for a highly consequential night for 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 violation was clear as could be.
Almiron is one of the most experienced players on 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 into a terrible position and a player with such an extensive history in the game should have known better.
3. Türkiye’s Ineptitude, Paraguay’s Defending
In Türkiye’s opening 2-0 loss to Australia, the statistics were stunning in how it pointed to Türkiye’s inability to turn possession into dangerous chances.
In that game, Türkiye had a 72-28% possession edge while out-shooting Australia 30-9. Türkiye had a 51-18 edge in touches inside the opposing box. Even with these numbers, Türkiye was not able to find the back of the net.
Against Paraguay, the statistics were even more lopsided, especially against an opponent that was down to 10 men.
When this World Cup is over and the analysts breakdown the top stories that came from this tournament, Türkiye’s offensive ineptitude is sure to be near the top. It is hard to find a team that dominated its first two games to this extent, had chance after chance (including for a half against a team with 10 men), that lost both games without scoring a goal.
The statistics were almost hard to believe. 63 shots across two games, and no goals.
Heading into this tournament, there were high expectations that Türkiye could make a run in the knockouts. This was the team’s first appearance in the tournament since 2002 when it finished third. This generation of Turkish players has shown a lot of promise but now will exit in stunning fashion.
On the flip side, Paraguay defending for almost the entire 90 minutes was remarkable. Even before Almiron was sent off, Paraguay was pinned back. But in the second half, Paraguay held firm through a disciplined approach with committed team defense and a first-rate effort that required a lot of character. At times Paraguay got lucky and at times Orlando Gill made a big save.
Paraguay’s World Cup hopes depended entirely on defensive effort for nearly an entire game. Against a lot of odds, they held firm and deserved the win.
4. Group D Finales
With this result, Türkiye is now disqualified from advancing to the knockout stage. That does not mean this is 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 United States. That game matters nothing 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 will meet up in a dramatic game where the winner finishes second and advances. The loser, meanwhile, is in jeopardy of going home.
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