Türkiye vs Paraguay

The match exploded into life inside the opening two minutes. Türkiye lost possession carelessly deep inside their own half, and Paraguay pounced instantly. Two crisp passes released Galarza, who cut onto his left foot and buried a clean, unstoppable strike into the bottom corner from the edge of the box. Ugurcan Çakır was at full stretch but could not get near it — the fastest goal of the 2026 World Cup so far.

"It was a dream start," Paraguay's coaching staff later reflected. The goal silenced a large contingent of Turkish supporters at Levi's Stadium and set the tone for a night Türkiye could never quite recover from.

From that moment on, Vincenzo Montella's side took complete control of the ball. The statistics paint an extraordinary picture of dominance without reward: Türkiye finished the match with 79% possession, 32 total shots (five on target), and 2.10 expected goals (xG). Paraguay, by contrast, managed just 21% possession and seven shots.

Mert Müldür rattled the post midway through the first half as Türkiye pushed for an equaliser. Arda Güler showed flashes of his technical brilliance, drifting between the lines, but the final ball repeatedly let the Turks down. Paraguay's backline, marshalled by Omar Alderete and Junior Alonso, threw themselves at everything.

Deep into first-half stoppage time, the game took a bizarre turn. Following a challenge between İsmail Yüksek and Isidro Pitta, a scuffle broke out between the two benches. Referee Iván Barton was called to the VAR monitor and shown footage of Paraguay's Miguel Almirón covering his mouth while speaking to a Turkish player.

Under FIFA's new regulation — informally dubbed the "Vini law" after Real Madrid's Vinícius Júnior — covering one's mouth during a confrontation is an automatic red-card offence, introduced to prevent players from hiding abusive or racist language. Almirón became the first player in World Cup history to be dismissed under this rule.

There was no indication that Almirón had said anything abusive, but the letter of the law was applied. Paraguay would have to play the entire second half with ten men.

Despite the numerical disadvantage, Paraguay defended resolutely. Türkiye threw everything forward. Güler curled an effort just wide. Merih Demiral sent a towering header narrowly past the post in the 97th minute. Can Uzun saw a close-range effort parried, with the rebound skewed wide.

Paraguay goalkeeper Juan Espínola made five saves, and his defence blocked a staggering 12 shots. The Paraguayans countered when they could, with substitute Isidro Pitta causing sporadic problems, but the story of the half was Türkiye's inability to convert.

"Turkey could be here all night and I don't think they would beat that defence," former Republic of Ireland striker Clinton Morrison told BBC Radio 5 Live. "The Paraguay defence has been outstanding."

The result means Türkiye are eliminated from the World Cup after just two matches — their first appearance at the tournament in 24 years. Across two group games, against Australia and Paraguay, Montella's side amassed 62 shots without scoring a single goal. It is a staggering statistic that will haunt Turkish football for years.

"Turkey have to do better at major tournaments," Morrison added.

The United States, who defeated Australia earlier that day, are confirmed as Group D winners. Paraguay's win throws Group D wide open: they face Australia in their final group game with a chance to advance, while Türkiye's final match against the USMNT is now a dead rubber.

Türkiye face the United States in Los Angeles on June 25 in what is now a purely academic fixture. For Paraguay, the real battle awaits: a winner-takes-all clash against Australia at the same venue on the same day, with a place in the Round of 32 on the line.

For Vincenzo Montella's talented but toothless Turkish side, the post-mortem will centre on one devastating number: 62 shots, zero goals, and a flight home.