SANTA CLARA, United States, June 20 — Matias Galarza scored a first-half goal as 10-man Paraguay eliminated Türkiye from the FIFA World Cup with a 1-0 victory on Friday.
Galarza put Paraguay ahead in the second minute with a long-range strike, but Miguel Almiron’s dismissal in first-half stoppage time left Gustavo Alfaro’s side a player short for the entire second half.
Paraguay defended resolutely after the break to frustrate Türkiye and secure its first win of the tournament at San Francisco Bay Area Stadium. The result left Paraguay third in Group D, level on points with Australia but behind on goal difference.
The teams will meet in their final group-stage match at the same venue next Thursday. Türkiye will face the group leader, the United States, in Los Angeles on the same day, but can no longer avoid finishing bottom of the group.
Paraguay needed just 65 seconds to open the scoring as Julio Enciso capitalized on a turnover and found Galarza, who took a touch before sweeping a low 20-yard shot past Ugurcan Cakir.
The goal spurred Türkiye into action and Kerem Akturkoglu did well to split Paraguay’s defense before cutting the ball back for Arda Guler, whose first-time effort flew over the bar.
Türkiye dominated possession but rarely threatened in the final third as Paraguay defended in a compact block. Mert Muldur came close to leveling the score when he met Hakan Calhanoglu’s floated cross with a header that struck the woodwork.
Paraguay threatened on the counterattack, but Juan Jose Caceres was denied by a reflex save from Cakir. Almiron was sent off in first-half stoppage time after covering his mouth during a verbal exchange with Muldur.
The video assistant referee ruled that the former Newcastle United winger had breached a new FIFA rule banning the practice.
Türkiye responded almost immediately as Ismail Yuksek blazed over from distance before Gustavo Gomez blocked a powerful shot from Calhanoglu.
Paraguay dropped into an ultra-defensive shape, with all outfield players behind the ball when out of possession. Türkiye poured forward in waves in search of an equalizer.
Calhanoglu fired a left-footed effort over the bar, while Orlando Gill denied Merih Demiral’s long-range strike. Juventus attacker Kenan Yildiz became increasingly influential on the left flank.
After a clever run, he picked out Deniz Gul, but the Porto forward headed straight at Gill. Paraguay’s attacks were rare, but Enciso twice made threatening runs forward only to be let down by poor finishing.
The South American side nearly doubled its lead in the 84th minute when Gustavo Gomez latched onto Enciso’s free kick with a precise header that was palmed away by Cakir.
Türkiye’s frustrations continued when Guler scuffed a golden chance wide four minutes from time with only the goalkeeper to beat. (Namibia Daily News / Xinhua)
