10-man Paraguay beats Turkey 1-0 at the World Cup despite being down a man, as Turkiye is eliminated

Ten-man Paraguay kept their FIFA World Cup knockout-stage hopes alive with a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Turkey in a dramatic Group D clash, while Turkey’s hopes of progressing ended after suffering a second consecutive defeat.

Paraguay made a dream start, with Matías Galarza scoring after just 1 minute and 5 seconds to register what is currently the fastest goal of the FIFA World Cup 2026.

However, Paraguay were forced to battle through adversity after midfielder Miguel Almirón was shown a red card deep into first-half stoppage time following a VAR review. The incident occurred after Almirón covered his mouth during a confrontation with Turkey defender Mert Müldür, with the dismissal coming under a new FIFA regulation introduced before the tournament.

Despite playing the entire second half with 10 men, Paraguay showed remarkable defensive resilience, frustrating a Turkey side that controlled much of the possession and created several opportunities but failed to find an equaliser.

The defeat leaves Turkey unable to qualify for the Round of 32, while Paraguay will book their place in the knockout stages if they defeat Australia in their final Group D fixture.

Paraguay are making their ninth FIFA World Cup appearance and are looking to return to the knockout stages for the first time since 2010, when they reached the quarter-finals.

Turkey, meanwhile, are competing at their third FIFA World Cup finals and were hoping to match their historic third-place finish from the 2002 tournament in South Korea and Japan.

In their final Group D matches, Turkey will face the USA, while Paraguay will meet Australia, with both games scheduled for 2pm next Friday.

Elsewhere in today’s action, Brazil recorded a convincing 3-0 win over Haiti, Morocco defeated Scotland 1-0, and the USA secured a 2-0 victory against Australia.

World Cup 2026: 10-man Paraguay beat Turkey 1-0 to Eliminate them, Stats, Facts, Records

Overview: In a thrilling, high-stakes Group D match at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, Paraguay defeated Türkiye 1-0. This outcome officially eliminated Türkiye from the 2026 FIFA World Cup while simultaneously securing the top spot in the group for the United States Men's National Team (USMNT).

Final Score: Türkiye 0, Paraguay 1

Defensive Masterclass: Paraguay played the entire second half with 10 men, managing to withstand relentless pressure from Türkiye.

Türkiye's Scoring Drought: Türkiye was eliminated from the tournament without scoring a single goal across their first two matches,

Match Records Made

Fastest Goal of the 2026 World Cup: Midfielder Matías Galarza scored a low rocket from 25 meters out after just 64 seconds. This broke the previous tournament record of 71 seconds set earlier that same day by Morocco’s Ismael Saibari.

First "Mouth-Covering" Red Card in History: Paraguay's Miguel Almirón became the first player ever to receive a straight red card under FIFA's new tournament rule. He was sent off in first-half stoppage time for covering his mouth during a heated argument with Turkish defender Mert Müldür.

____