Turkiye knocked out of World Cup 2026 after 1-0 defeat to 10-man Paraguay

Ten-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.

Midfielder 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.

Paraguay midfielder Miguel Almiron was given a ⁠straight red card in ⁠first-half stoppage time for putting his hand over his mouth in a confrontation with Turkiye’s ⁠Mert Muldur, the first to fall foul of ⁠the new rule at ⁠the tournament.

It made Paraguay’s task that much harder, but they weathered wave after wave of ‌Turkiye attacks to claim the win in a remarkable turnaround following their ‌opening ‌4-1 demolition by the United States.

Almiron was sent off in first-half stoppage time after the exchange with Muldur, with the dismissal confirmed by the video assistant referee (VAR) as ⁠Paraguay led 1-0.

Players who cover their mouths with their hand, ⁠arm or shirt in confrontational situations ⁠receive a red ⁠card.

The rule came into effect after Benfica’s Gianluca Prestianni was accused ‌of making discriminatory slurs to Real Madrid’s Vinicius Jr ‌with ‌his mouth covered.