Paraguay defeated Turkey 1-0 in the early hours of this Saturday (20), at Levi’s Stadium, in Santa Clara, in the second round of the group stage of the 2026 World Cup.
The result mathematically condemns the Turkish team to early elimination from the tournament, after two consecutive defeats in the group stage. The only goal of the match was scored in the first minute of the game, the fastest goal of this World Cup.
Julio Enciso was responsible for the play, adjusting the ball to Galarza in the middle, and the number 23 finished low with his left foot into the left corner of goalkeeper Ugurcan Çakir.
Turkey, under the command of Vincenzo Montella, responded with intense pressure throughout the first half, dominating possession and accumulating corners: 12-0 at the end of the match.
In the 34th minute, Mert Müldür headed a free kick from Hakan Calhanoglu and hit the crossbar, in one of the Turks’ most dangerous moves.
During first-half stoppage time, confusion between players resulted in a VAR review by referee Ivan Cisneros, who sent off Miguel Almirón after the Paraguayan midfielder was caught putting his hand over his mouth while talking to an opponent — conduct punished with a red card, according to new FIFA regulations.
With one more player, Turkey continued in search of a draw in the second half, but found an organized Paraguayan defense determined to sustain the result.
Goalkeeper Orlando Gill was decisive on several occasions, making important saves to maintain the advantage of the team led by Gustavo Alfaro.
In the 43rd minute of the second half, in a move that epitomized the Turkish drama, Deniz Gül wasted a chance one-on-one with the goalkeeper after Orlando Gill saved a shot from Can Uzun.
The statistics show Turkey’s territorial dominance, but without effectiveness: there were 32 shots in total, against just seven from the Paraguayans, with 562 successful passes compared to just 74 from the opponent.
Paraguay, in turn, bet on defensive compactness — it recorded 18 defensive blocks and 62 hits — and took advantage of its only real opportunity to secure the three points.
With the result, the South Americans move up to third place in Group D, with three points, tied for the number of victories with Australia, which also has three.
The United States lead the group with six points after two victories, including a 2-0 victory over the Australians in the same round.
Turkey remains at the bottom of Group D, without scoring in two rounds and having conceded three goals, with no mathematical possibility of qualifying for the knockout stages of the tournament.
Paraguay still has a chance of qualifying and will face the United States in the third and final round of the group stage, while Turkey will face Australia in a match with no consequences for its World Cup campaign.
