Paraguay beat Turkey 1-0 on Friday courtesy of a rapid strike from Matías Galarza. The result means Turkey have been eliminated from the World Cup.

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Miguel Almirón also became the first player to be sent off for covering his mouth, as per a new FIFA rule implemented ahead of this tournament.

The result means that the USMNT have officially topped Group D, with Paraguay third behind Australia and Turkey, who are eliminated because they cannot overtake the two teams above them due to the head-to-head rule, at the bottom. Paraguay face Australia in their final group game, while Turkey take on the USMNT.

Turkey pushed after Almirón was sent off, but were unable to get an equaliser which would have taken their continued involvement at the World Cup into a the final round of group stage games.

Charlotte Harpur and Asli Pelit analyse the key talking points…

Why was Miguel Almirón sent off?

Following a challenge between Turkey’s İsmail Yüksek and Paraguay striker Isidro Pitta in added time of the first half, Pitta was left clutching his leg. There was some pushing and shoving between both teams before referee Iván Arcides Barton Cisneros was sent to the VAR monitor to check a possible red card offence.

The referee was shown footage of Paraguay’s Miguel Almirón covering his mouth while saying something to a Turkey player. Upon seeing the evidence, the referee showed Almirón a straight red card.

The new rule introduced by FIFA for this World Cup, and as it stands, not to be implemented in any other competition, states that a player covering their mouth in situations of confrontation is a red card offence.

Known colloquially as the “Vini law”, the rule was introduced to act as a deterrent after Real Madrid’s Vinicius Jr accused Benfica’s Gianluca Prestianni of racism during a Champions League game in February.

Prestianni, who covered his mouth with his shirt during the exchange, denied making any racist remarks. UEFA handed him a six-match ban — three of which were suspended — after he admitted to making homophobic comments.

FIFA president Gianni Infantino called for changes to the rules after the incident.

“If a player covers his mouth and says something, and this has a racist consequence, then he has to be sent off, obviously,” Infantino told Sky News in March.

“There must be a presumption that he has said something he shouldn’t have said, otherwise he wouldn’t have had to cover his mouth.”

There is no indication that Almirón said anything abusive.

Players had been warned before this World Cup about the new rule, and Almirón will go down in history as the first player to be penalised.

Other players will no doubt see Almirón’s case, be reminded of the rules by everyone around them and fear the same grave repercussions. Almirón will miss Paraguay’s next game against Australia, but FIFA can upgrade that further.

You do not want to be the cause of your own downfall on the world’s biggest stage because of a lack of knowledge of regulations.

In that way, the deterrent works. Of course, this is stating the obvious, but this will not solve football’s much wider problem regarding racist and homophobic abuse.

— Charlotte Harpur

How disappointing is this elimination for Turkey?

It’s hard to overstate the disappointment.

Turkey entered the 2026 World Cup as one of the most intriguing teams in Group D. Many analysts viewed Vincenzo Montella’s side as the most talented squad in the group, built around a core of elite European-based players including Arda Güler, Hakan Çalhanoğlu and Kenan Yıldız. After returning to the World Cup for the first time in 24 years, expectations were high that this generation could finally build on the legacy of the team that reached the semifinals in South Korea and Japan in 2002.

Instead, Turkey is heading home after back-to-back defeats to Australia and Paraguay.

What makes the elimination particularly frustrating is that the talent is clearly there. Guler remains one of the most gifted young playmakers in world football. Calhanoglu is one of Europe’s most accomplished midfielders. Yildiz has emerged as one of Juventus’ brightest young stars. Yet across two matches, Turkey struggled to translate possession and technical quality into meaningful attacking output.

The loss to Australia exposed the team’s lack of pace and depth, particularly in transition. The defeat to Paraguay highlighted a different problem: predictability.

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After Galarza’s goal, Paraguay largely sat back, forcing Turkey to break them down. The response looked remarkably similar to what we saw against Australia. Güler and Yıldız repeatedly tried to create chances, but attacks stalled and opportunities never turned into goals.

Ultimately, football is not about creating chances; it is about finishing them.

That is where questions will inevitably be asked of Montella. His preferred 4-2-3-1 system has been the foundation of this team, but throughout the tournament, he showed little willingness to adapt when opponents presented different challenges. Australia beat Turkey through organization, physicality and counterattacking. Paraguay beat them with an early goal and disciplined defending. Yet Turkey’s approach remained largely unchanged.

For a team that was viewed as a dangerous wildcard capable of troubling anyone in the group, the inability to adjust proved costly. The talent was undeniable. The flexibility was not.

And that may ultimately be the defining story of Turkey’s World Cup.

— Asli Pelit

A day of fast goals — but how do they compare to the quickest ever?

After just 64 seconds on the clock, Paraguay’s Matías Galarza punished Turkey and scored the fastest goal of this World Cup so far.

Turkey lost the ball carelessly deep inside their own half. Paraguay pounced, playing two passes to set up Galarza. The Atlanta United loanee was clinical, like slicing a knife through butter, burying a clean left-footed strike into the bottom corner. Turkey goalkeeper Uğurcan Çakır was at full stretch but could not get close.

In just over a minute, Galarza had stunned Turkey in the San Francisco Bay Area. Paraguay managed to hold on for the next 89 minutes despite playing the second half with 10 men.

Worryingly, Paraguay’s hero was taken off on a stretcher in added time. They will want him fit for their crucial last group game against Australia next Thursday.

There must have been something in the air. On the same day, but on the other coast of America, just 71 seconds in, Ismael Saibari hit an absolute belter at the Gillette Stadium to put Morocco 1-0 up against Scotland.

Galarza’s goal was seven seconds quicker than Saibari’s, but both pale in comparison to World Cup history.

There have been 13 World Cup goals scored in under a minute, and ironically, it is Turkey’s Hakan Şükür who holds the record. In 2002, he scored within 11 seconds to help Turkey beat South Korea 3-2 in the third-place play-off.

Surely we will see faster goals to come in this tournament.

— Charlotte Harpur

What does this mean for the USMNT?

Heading into the World Cup, Paraguay were the side pitched to potentially spoil the USMNT’s party. But the lowest-ranked team in the group’s 1-0 win against Turkey, in fact, helped the U.S. finish first before their final game.

On paper, that means the USMNT will get an easier round of 32 draw as they will play a third-place finisher from Groups B, E, F, I or J at Levi’s Stadium in the San Francisco Bay Area on July 1.

As it stands, that is likely to be Bosnia and Herzegovina or Qatar, on the presumption that Group B sends a third-place team to the Round of 32. Otherwise, it could be one of Ecuador, Senegal or Norway.

Had they finished as group runners-up, they would have faced the second-place team from Group G, which is, in theory, a tougher prospect.

Securing qualification at the earliest opportunity is ideal for Mauricio Pochettino’s side. It is job done, a big tick, and onto the next game with a weight lifted off their shoulders.

Knowing that they will finish first regardless of future results is an added bonus, as the Argentinian can rotate players and experiment if he wishes. In an expanded 48-team tournament, any saved energy could make all the difference.

— Charlotte Harpur

What comes next?

The final matches in Group D take place on June 25, both kicking off at 10pm ET.

Turkey v USMNT, Los Angeles

Paraguay v Australia, San Francisco Bay Area

The USMNT — who have finished first — will play a third-place team from Groups B, E, F, I or J in San Francisco on July 1.

The team that finishes second will play the Group G runner-up in Dallas on July 3.

If one advances as a third-place team, they’ll play a group winner from Group E, I or K in Boston, Kansas City or New York.

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This article originally appeared in The Athletic.

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