Paraguay knocked Turkey out of knockout-round contention with a 1-0 win at the 2026 World Cup, holding firm through late Turkish pressure despite finishing a man down. Matías Galarza struck in the second minute after pouncing on a loose ball in Turkey territory and firing past goalkeeper Ugurcan Çakir, though he was booked moments later for diving into a Turkey player's legs.
Turkey controlled most of the ball but could not convert. Mert Müldür's header off a free kick hit the crossbar and then the right post in the first half, and Kenan Yildiz forced a save from Paraguay's Orlando Gil. At halftime, Turkey held a 78-22 possession edge but trailed 1-0.
Late in the first half, Miguel Almirón was sent off after VAR review for covering his mouth while speaking to a Turkish opponent, a violation of FIFA's post-Vinícius Júnior rule against concealing discriminatory behavior on the field. Paraguay played the second half with 10 men while Turkey pushed for an equalizer that never came.
Turkey coach Vincenzo Montella was shown a yellow card for protesting a stoppage after a Paraguay player went down. Baris Yilmaz set up Can Uzun for a late chance that Gil denied, and several final Turkish efforts went wide as Turkey finished with 11 corners and roughly 80 percent possession in the second half.
Live score updates from the same World Cup window also listed Brazil beating Haiti, plus wins for Morocco and the USMNT.
