Matías Galarza scored the fastest goal of the tournament just over a minute into the match, and Paraguay held on with 10 men to defeat Turkey 1-0 in their World Cup Group D clash at San Francisco Bay Area Stadium. The result eliminated Turkey from the competition with a match to spare.
Turkey's shock exit despite dominance
Turkey arrived at their first World Cup in 24 years with high expectations and a host of rising stars, but crashed out goalless and in tears after another shocking failure to convert chances. Despite facing 10 men for more than a half, they slumped to a 1-0 defeat against the spirited South Americans after racking up 32 goal attempts. The loss followed a 2-0 opening defeat by Australia, in which Turkey amassed 30 fruitless attempts.
According to data collected since 1966, the 62 combined shots across two matches are the most without a goal in any two-match span in World Cup history. That wastefulness was only amplified by Paraguay's incredible efficiency, as Galarza struck from 25 metres just over a minute into the match.
Missed chances and heartbreak
Turkish fans will wonder what might have been had Mert Muldur's 35th-minute header from a free-kick gone in off the crossbar rather than rebounding against the post. That was as close as Turkey came, despite players queuing up for shots right up to the finish. Baris Yilmaz, Can Uzun, and Merih Demiral all failed to put away good chances.
Arda Guler, the 21-year-old pinup boy of Turkish soccer, apologised to the nation. “We tried very hard but it didn’t work. But we should have scored some goals,” he said. “We should have won these games ... Everybody’s sad, everybody’s crying.”
Paraguay's gritty win
For Paraguay, it was a win for the true believers following their dreadful display against the USA. Coach Gustavo Alfaro backed his no-frills squad to turn it around, and his decision to bring in Galarza, who was unused against the USA, proved a masterstroke. After the midfielder's goal, it was grit, determination, and a generous dollop of luck that kept their tournament alive.
Not even a red card in first-half stoppage time could deny the South Americans, though their task was made harder by Miguel Almirón's dismissal for remarks made to Muldur with his hand covering his mouth. Almirón fell foul of a new rule approved at a meeting of the International Football Association Board in April.
Alfaro praised his players' mettle. “It’s nothing about tactics or strategy here. This victory, this result is to the credit of the players,” he said.
Turkey's golden generation falls short
It was a stunning fall for a team that made a swashbuckling run to the Euro 2024 quarter-finals. A golden generation of players anchored by the young talents of Guler and Kenan Yildiz had appeared set to make their mark on the global stage. Instead, Turkey's players and staff will face a fierce reaction on the home front before their final group game against the USA, who have already qualified for the last 32.
