Paraguay eliminate Turkiye from World Cup with early Galarza goal
Matias Galarza scored after 64 seconds before Paraguay held on with 10 men to beat Turkiye 1-0 in Santa Clara, Reuters reported.
By Daniel Okafor · Business Editor
2 min read
Paraguay knocked Turkiye out of the 2026 World Cup with a 1-0 win on Friday, Reuters reported, holding their lead despite playing the second half with 10 men. The result kept Paraguay alive after an opening 4-1 defeat to the United States, according to Reuters.
Matias Galarza scored the only goal at the San Francisco Bay Area Stadium in Santa Clara, California, Reuters reported. The Paraguay midfielder struck from 25 metres after 64 seconds, sending a low shot past Turkiye to give his team an early lead.
Reuters reported that Galarza’s goal was the fastest of the tournament so far. It surpassed Ismael Saibari’s 71-second goal for Morocco in a 1-0 win over Scotland earlier the same day, according to Reuters.
Paraguay’s position became harder in first-half stoppage time, Reuters reported, when Miguel Almiron received a straight red card after a confrontation with Turkiye’s Mert Muldur. The dismissal was confirmed by the video assistant referee while Paraguay were still ahead 1-0, according to Reuters.
Reuters reported that Almiron was sent off under a new tournament rule covering confrontational incidents. Under the rule, players receive a red card if they cover their mouth with a hand, arm or shirt during such exchanges, according to Reuters.
The rule was introduced after Benfica’s Gianluca Prestianni was accused of making discriminatory remarks to Real Madrid’s Vinicius Jr while his mouth was covered, Reuters reported. Almiron was the first player at the tournament to be punished under it, according to Reuters.
Turkiye pressed after the red card, Reuters reported, but Paraguay protected their advantage through sustained pressure. Reuters images from the match showed Turkiye players Merih Demiral and Deniz Gul reacting after a late chance went wide.
The match was played in Group D, according to Reuters photo captions from the venue. Paraguay’s win came one match after their 4-1 loss to the United States, giving the South American side a sharp reversal in results while ending Turkiye’s World Cup run.
This story draws on original reporting from Al Jazeera.