Paraguay Stun Turkey with Crucial 1-0 Victory
Turkey’s World Cup is all but over, while Paraguay keep their campaign alive.
Paraguay held on for a 1-0 win over Turkey in a tense FIFA World Cup 2026 Group D encounter, with Matias Galarza’s early goal proving decisive at the San Francisco Bay Area Stadium.
Galarza made a blistering start to the match, finding the net in the 2nd and 4th minutes, though the early double was later ruled down to a single decisive goal separating the sides. Turkey struggled to respond despite improved spells in possession, with Kerem Aktürkoğlu and Barış Alper Yılmaz introduced at half-time to inject attacking energy.
Paraguay managed the game well after the break, making key defensive changes and disrupting Turkey’s rhythm. Late substitutions from both sides failed to change the outcome, as Turkey’s final push was repeatedly blocked by a disciplined Paraguayan back line.
The match saw a flurry of substitutions in the second half, including changes involving Julio Enciso, Gabriel Ávalos, and Orkun Kökçü, but neither side could alter the scoreline after Galarza’s early breakthrough.
Full Time: Paraguay 1-0 Turkey Paraguay secure a crucial three points to revive their World Cup campaign, while Turkey are left searching for answers after another narrow defeat in Group D.
