After the last round of Group D of the group stage, Australia guaranteed its classification to the 32-team stage in second place by drawing 0-0 with Paraguay in the early hours of Friday (26).
The South American team also reached 4 points and is now waiting for the end of the first phase to confirm its classification as one of the best third-placed teams.
In a match that was worth nothing, other than a celebration for the fans present at the SoFi stadium in Los Angeles, the already classified United States played the reserve team and lost to the already eliminated Turkey 3-2.
First in the group, the United States will face in the knockout stages a third-placed team that will come out of Groups B, E, F, I or J. Only after the group stage will the rival be known.
Second placed, Australia will face the second place in Group G, which will be defined after the games that start at midnight this Friday (26).
Paraguay, which is currently the fourth best third-placed team (4 points and -2 goal difference), will need to wait for confirmation of their place and, if they pass, the definition of their rival in the knockout stage. It was already known, however, that it would be one of the first placed among the other groups.
Paraguay 0 x 0 Australia
At Levi’s Stadium, in the San Francisco region, Paraguay and Australia played a duel without many emotions. From the beginning, the two teams concentrated the confrontation in the midfield, which balanced the actions. Defenses had an advantage over attacks.
The first shot on goal occurred just after 35 minutes, with Australian full-back Bos, forcing goalkeeper Gill to make a save.
Throughout the first half, the Australians looked more for the goal. They took six shots and hit four on goal. Paraguay, on the other hand, only kicked once, with no aim.
In the second half, when it was expected that the teams would increase the pace to reach victory, little happened. The Paraguayan players, whenever they got close to the rival area, kicked hard, but invariably the ball went in a direction other than the goal.
The Australians also seemed to be satisfied with the score and didn’t push much.
In the entire duel, Australia shot 12 times and hit the goal 5 times. Paraguay tried seven times, but only reached the target twice. After the final whistle, everyone on the field celebrated.
Türkiye 3 x 2 USA
With classification and leadership assured, the United States coach, Argentine Mauricio Pochettino, spared his starting team for the knockout stage. Only midfielder McKennie played in the middle.
Even so, the home team started with everything at the SoFi stadium, in Los Angeles, and it took just two minutes to open the scoring, with Trusty. Berhalter crossed at the second post, Trusty dominated and finished violently, with no chance for goalkeeper Çakir.
When it looked like the United States would dominate, Turkey reacted and managed to score their first World Cup goal.
At 9 minutes, Arda Güler crossed the line with Aydin in midfield, received it from Yilmaz in the area and finished. Matt Turner, the goalkeeper, could do nothing.
The Americans even had a goal from defender McKenzie disallowed for offside in the 29th minute before Turkey added another minute later.
In another move started by Arda Güler, Elmali took the ball on the left, went to the baseline and played for Kökçü to increase the score.
In the second half, Berhalter equalized at 3 minutes, and the entry of number 10, Pulisic, at 17 minutes, lit the game on fire. The USA began to dominate the duel.
Even so, Turkey did not give up and managed to balance again at the end, reaching victory in stoppage time with Ayhan. It was a worthy farewell for a team that fell short in other games.
Remember what Group D was like
The USA opened the group with a convincing 4-1 victory over Paraguay at the same SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles. Despite the good performance of striker Christian Pulisic, the highlight of the game was Balogun, the son of Nigerian immigrants, who scored twice.
In the other duel, Australia surprised Turkey and won 2-0, in Vancouver, Canada.
In the second round, the Americans once again played solid football to beat Australia 2-0 in Seattle, ensuring qualification for the 32-team phase, the first knockout stage of this expanded edition, with 48 countries, one round in advance.
In Santa Clara, Paraguay recovered from its defeat in the first match and beat Turkey 1-0, maintaining its chance of qualifying and eliminating its rival.
