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

With two defeats in two group games, Turkiye have been knocked out of the World Cup. Matias Galarza’s early goal handed Paraguay a 1-0 win over the Turks.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.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 itemslist 1 of 3Hosts USA beat Australia 2–0 for a spot in World Cup knockoutslist 2 of 3Saibari scores fastest World Cup 2026 goal as Morocco beat Scotlandlist 3 of 3Cunha hits Brazil double against Haiti to seal first World Cup 2026 winend 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.Turkiye’s’s Merih Demiral and Deniz Gul react after a late chance went wide [Eloisa Lopez/Reuters]Turkiye wasteful in front of goalTurkiye dominated the match, with 79 percent possession at one point, but they paid the price for their atrocious finishing, logging 32 attempts but no goals in ⁠almost a carbon copy of their high-shooting opening match loss ⁠to Australia.