Türkiye 0-1 Paraguay: Second defeat sends Crescent Stars out of World Cup | OneFootball

Ollie Whitmore, Chief football news reporter

Standings provided bySofascore

Türkiye became the second team to be eliminated from the World Cup with one group game remaining after a frustrating 1-0 defeat to 10-man Paraguay at the San Francisco Bay Stadium.

Matías Galaza condemned them to the worst possible start, scoring within just 64 seconds to set the new fastest goal hours after Ismael Saibari’s 70-second strike against Scotland and putting Türkiye on the brink.

Miguel Almirón was shown as straight red in the first application of the ‘Prestianni rule’ for communicating something to Mert Müldür with his mouth covered during a confrontation in first-half stoppage time.

Vincenzo Montella’s side pressed on, racking up 32 shots over the 90 minutes – adding to their 30 in their opening defeat to Australia – but unbelievably fell short of a much-needed goal that would have kept them in the World Cup finals.

Galaza took his chance well with an accurate low drive into the bottom right corner, teed up by Strasbourg winger Julio Enciso after Türkiye made a mess of clearing the ball out of the defensive third.

Having barely had a sight of goal against the United States in Los Angeles, Paraguay got their World Cup finals campaign up and running just two minutes into their next clash.

The Crescent Stars’ frustrations throughout the tournament were compounded as Fenerbahçe right-back Müldür rose to meet Hakan Çalhanoglu’s free kick and hit both the crossbar and post before the ball bounced clear.

They were furious when referee halted the game with them in possession on the left wing and intending to press on for the equalizer once striker Isidrio Pitta was spotted on the floor and in visible discomfort.

VAR recommended that the official make his way to the monitor to review footage of Almirón covering his mouth while engaged in a verbal altercation, and promptly sent the former Newcastle man off for being in breach of the new rule.

The new rule was introduced in response to Benfica winger Gianluca Prestianni’s ban for homophobic conduct, after Vinícius Júnior accused him of using racist language in their Champions League playoff match with Real Madrid in April.

Prestianni had covered his mouth with his hand, making it impossible to discern quite what he had said to the Brazilian, prompting the introduction of the new law as a preventative during the tournament.

Türkiye would often threaten from distance as they grew desperate for the elusive goal, yet substitute striker Deniz Gül missed an absolute sitter from yards out – somehow unable to steer in the rebound from Can Uzun’s parried effort.

It would perfectly sum up the story of their World Cup campaign, which came to an end prior to their final group stage match against group winners United States next Wednesday.

They will finally need to score a goal to avoid being eliminated from the World Cup without scoring for the first time in their three appearances at the tournament since 1954.

The win means Paraguay enter into a straight shootout for second place in Group D against Australia at 03:00 (BST) next Friday, yet both teams could still qualify if they finish level on four points with more spots available for third-placed sides.

For more detailed reports, reaction, and analysis of the World Cup as it happens, head to our website and favourite our page on OneFootball.

Türkiye – Paraguay Live Score