With two defeats in two group games, Turkiye have been knocked out of the World Cup.By ReutersPublished On 20 Jun 202620 Jun 2026Ten-man Paraguay eliminated Turkiye from the 2026 World Cup with a courageous defensive effort to seal a dramatic 1-0 win after suffering a dismissal before half-time, with the fastest goal of the tournament proving the difference.Fired up after their humiliating 4-1 opening match defeat by the United States, Paraguay went ahead when Matias Galarza wound up from 25 metres (27 yards) and fired a low rocket home after 64 seconds on Friday evening, to eclipse Ismael Saibari’s 71-second strike in Morocco’s 1-0 win over Scotland hours before.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemsend of listSpurred on to the sound of beating drums in the San Francisco Bay Area, Paraguay defended resolutely to withstand the Turkish onslaught and played the second half with 10 men, after Miguel Almiron was sent off for remarks made to Mert Muldur with his hand covering his mouth.The win by the South Americans means the US were confirmed as Group D winners after their earlier 2-0 victory over Australia in Seattle.Turkiye’s coach, Vincenzo Montella, said his players fought to stay in the tournament and it was an outcome everyone had to accept.“I’m sad, but I’m also very proud of my players. They gave everything right up until the final whistle. That’s what football’s like,” he said.Paraguay’s goalscorer Galarza said it was one of the best days of his life.“We showed our quality fighting spirits even with one player down. God wanted this to happen for Paraguay more than ever before,” said the 24-year-old, on loan at Atlanta United from River Plate. Turkiye’s Merih Demiral and Deniz Gul react after a late chance went wide [Eloisa Lopez/Reuters]Turkiye dominated the match, with 79 percent possession at one point, but paid the price for their atrocious finishing, logging 32 attempts but no goals in an almost carbon-copy of their high-shooting opening-match loss to Australia. Advertisement Turkiye were inventive and always threatening but fell apart in front of the goal, with a slew of chances for Juventus forward Kenan Yildiz and Real Madrid’s Arda Guler. Paraguay defended solidly and looked dangerous o …
