Ten-man Paraguay pulled off a dramatic defensive masterclass to eliminate Türkiye from the 2026 FIFA World Cup on Friday night, holding onto an early lead to secure a 1-0 victory at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California.
The result leaves Türkiye at the bottom of Group D with back-to-back defeats, officially ending their knockout stage aspirations. Meanwhile, the courageous victory revives Paraguay’s tournament hopes ahead of their final group stage clash.
Paraguay midfielder Matías Galarza opened the scoring after just 64 seconds, capitalising on a loose defensive pass from the Turkish side. Galarza unleashed a powerful 25-meter rocket into the bottom corner to claim the fastest goal of the 2026 World Cup so far.
The match took a highly unusual turn in first-half stoppage time when Paraguay's Miguel Almirón was shown a straight red card following a VAR review. Almirón became the first player penalised under a new International Football Association Board disciplinary rule that mandates a dismissal for players who cover their mouths with their hands during confrontational disputes.
Despite playing with a numerical advantage for the entire second half and dominating 79 percent of the possession, Vincenzo Montella's side lacked a clinical edge. The European side launched 32 shots but failed to break down a resilient, deep-lying Paraguayan low block. Late goal-scoring opportunities for Arda Güler, Can Uzun, and Merih Demiral missed the target or were saved by goalkeeper Orlando Gill.
The triumph sparked celebrations from the South Americans, who managed to bounce back from their opening 4-1 loss to the United States.
"We showed our quality fighting spirits even with one player down," Galarza said in an official post-match statement. "God wanted this to happen for Paraguay more than ever before".