Paraguay produced one of the tournament's most remarkable results on Friday, eliminating Turkey from the 2026 FIFA World Cup with a 1-0 victory in Santa Clara, California, despite playing more than half the match with ten men. Matias Galarza, a 24-year-old midfielder on loan at Atlanta United from Argentina's River Plate, scored the fastest goal of the tournament after just 64 seconds — a low left-footed strike from 25 metres that set the tone for an extraordinary evening in the San Francisco Bay Area.

The result condemns Turkey to an early exit after two defeats from two group games, having also lost their opening match to Australia. Turkey, who are appearing at a World Cup for the first time since 2002 — when they famously finished third — arrived in North America with high expectations, boasting a squad that includes Arda Güler of Real Madrid, Hakan Çalhanoglu of Internazionale, and Kenan Yildiz of Juventus. Yet despite dominating possession and registering a staggering 32 shots across the match, they failed to score. In their two group games combined, Turkey have now attempted 62 shots without a single goal — a record in any two-match span in World Cup history since 1966. Coach Vincenzo Montella offered a measured response: "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."

The match's central controversy came in first-half stoppage time, when Paraguay's Miguel Almiron — the experienced midfielder who plays in Major League Soccer — was shown a straight red card after covering his mouth while exchanging words with Turkey's Mert Muldur. The dismissal was confirmed by VAR and marked the first application of a new rule introduced for this World Cup: players who cover their mouth with a hand, arm or shirt during a confrontational situation now face an automatic red card. The rule was introduced following a high-profile incident in which Benfica's Gianluca Prestianni was accused of making discriminatory remarks to Real Madrid's Vinicius Jr while concealing his words.

Playing a man down from the 45th minute onwards, Paraguay — known as "La Albirroja" — defended with discipline and composure, with goalkeeper Orlando Gill making a series of crucial saves to deny Merih Demiral, Can Uzun and others. Paraguay last appeared at a World Cup in 2010, where they reached the quarterfinals before being eliminated by eventual champions Spain. The win, combined with the United States' earlier 2-0 victory over Australia in Seattle, confirmed the US as Group D winners and sent Turkey home. Paraguay will face Australia in their final group game next Thursday, with second place in the group at stake.

For Turkey, the exit is a painful one. The team had been considered a potential dark horse to advance deep into the tournament, and their failure to convert dominance into goals will prompt serious reflection. For Paraguay, who had been humiliated 4-1 by the United States in their opener, it represents a stunning turnaround — and for goalscorer Galarza, a moment to savour. "We showed our quality and fighting spirit even with one player down," he said. "God wanted this to happen for Paraguay more than ever before."