Paraguay, playing the entire second half with one man less after Miguel Almirón was sent off just before half-timesecured a heroic 1-0 victory over Turkeykeeping alive their hopes of reaching the round of 16 of the 2026 World Cup.
One Matías Galarza’s goal after two minutes was enough for Gustavo Alfaro’s team to secure the victoryeliminating Turkey from the tournament.
The result also assured the United States, led by Argentine Mauricio Pochettino, the leadership of Group Dhours after becoming the second team (after Mexico) to qualify for the round of 16 with a 2-0 victory over Australia.
The match in Santa Clara, near San Francisco, fwas marked by the expulsion of Almirón, who became the first victim of the so-called ‘Vinícius Law’.
The midfielder, who plays for Atlanta United, in MLS, and has already spent time in England (Newcastle United) and Argentina (Lanús), covered his mouth while speaking to an opponent in stoppage time (45+2′) of the first half.
After being alerted by VAR, Salvadoran referee Iván Barton lhe showed the red cardenforcing the new rule that prohibits players from covering their mouths when speaking.
To avoid incidents such as the alleged racist insults directed by Benfica’s Argentine player, Gianluca Prestianni, to Real Madrid’s Brazilian star, Vinícius Júnior, during a Champions League match earlier this season, FIFA announced at the end of April that, from this tournament onwards, players who made this gesture – which had become common on the pitch – would be expelled.
“If a player covers his mouth and says something (…), it must be assumed that he said something he shouldn’t have said; otherwise, he wouldn’t need to cover his mouth,” explained FIFA president Gianni Infantino in an interview with Sky Sports.
After expulsion, the match turned into a battle for survival for Paraguaywho came under constant pressure throughout the second half from a Turkish team that wasted many chances.
But, not final, to Alfaro’s team saw its efforts rewarded with a crucial victory that kept their hopes alive.
Lineups:
Turquia: Ugurcan Cakir – Mert Muldur, Merih Demiral, Abdulkerim Bardakci (Orkun Kökcü 86′), Ferdi Kadioglu (Evren Eren Elmali 70′) – Yunus Akgün (Deniz Gul 60′), Ismail Yuksek (Can Uzun 60′) – Arda Guler, Hakan Calhanoglu (cap), Kenan Yildiz – Muhammed Kerem Aktürkoglu (Baris Alper Yilmaz 46′). Técnico: Vincenzo Montella.
Paraguay: Orlando Gill – Juan Caceres (Alexandro Maidana 81′), Gustavo Gomez (cap), Omar Alderete, Junior Alonso – Diego Gomez (Victor Velazquez 67′), Adrián Cubas, Matias Galarza (José Canale 90+2′), Miguel Almirón – Isidro Pitta (Damian Bobadilla 46′), Julio Enciso (Gabriel Avalos Stumpfs 90+1′). Technician: Gustavo Alfaro.
