Matias Galarza’s thunderous early strike set the tone and Paraguay’s defiant 10-man display finished the job, as the South Americans stunned Turkiye 1-0 in California to book a dramatic place in the next stage of the 2026 World Cup.
Reeling from a chastening 4-1 opening defeat by the United States, Paraguay responded with urgency on Friday evening and needed just 64 seconds to seize control. Galarza collected space 25 metres (27 yards) from goal and drilled a low effort beyond the keeper, a finish that briefly gave him the tournament’s fastest goal before Morocco’s Ismael Saibari edged ahead with a 71-second strike in a 1-0 win over Scotland later in the day.
Driven on by the beat of drums inside the San Francisco Bay Area Stadium, Paraguay spent much of the match under pressure but stood firm, especially after Miguel Almiron was dismissed before the break for remarks made to Mert Muldur with his hand covering his mouth.
The victory also confirmed the United States as Group D winners after their earlier 2-0 defeat of Australia in Seattle.
Turkiye coach Vincenzo Montella said his side had emptied the tank in an effort to stay alive in the competition and accepted the result as part of football.
“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.
Galarza, meanwhile, called it one of the greatest days of his life.
“We showed our quality fighting spirits even with one player down. God wanted this to happen for Paraguay more than ever before,” said the 24-year-old, who is on loan at Atlanta United from River Plate.
Turkiye controlled long stretches of the contest and at one stage held 79 percent possession, but their profligacy in front of goal proved costly. They managed 32 attempts and still failed to score, in a performance that echoed their shot-heavy opening loss to Australia.
While Turkiye repeatedly found ways into dangerous positions and threatened through Juventus forward Kenan Yildiz and Real Madrid’s Arda Guler, they could not find the finishing touch. Paraguay, by contrast, defended with discipline and looked dangerous whenever they broke forward.
Known as “La Albirroja” (the white and red), Paraguay had last appeared at a World Cup in 2010, when they reached the quarterfinals before being knocked out by eventual champions Spain — still their best run in the tournament.
Paraguay’s red card
Almiron’s sending-off came in first-half stoppage time after his exchange with Muldur, and VAR upheld the decision while Paraguay were already ahead 1-0.
It marked the first time the World Cup’s new rule had been enforced.
Under the regulation, players who cover their mouths with a hand, arm or shirt during confrontational incidents are shown a red card.
The measure was introduced after Benfica’s Gianluca Prestianni was accused of making discriminatory slurs toward Real Madrid’s Vinicius Jr while his mouth was covered.
