The second day of Group D of the 2026 World Cup left important consequences in the fight for classification. Paraguay defeated Turkey 1-0 in an intense match marked by an early goal from Matías Galarza and the expulsion of Miguel Almirón, a result that also confirmed the United States as the mathematical leader of the group.

The Guaraní team got three vital points to stay alive in the fight for the round of 32, while the Turks were on the ropes after suffering their second consecutive defeat in the tournament.

Paraguay hits from the start and takes advantage

The game had just begun when Paraguay found the score that would end up defining the match.

A few seconds after the initial whistle, Matías Galarza took advantage of a defensive inattention to send the ball to the back of the net and put the South American team ahead.

The score forced Turkey to take risks from very early on, dominating long periods of possession, although without the necessary clarity to break the Paraguayan defensive order.

With the advantage on the scoreboard, those led by Gustavo Alfaro opted for a compact block and sought to do damage through quick transitions.

The expulsion of Miguel Almirón changes the game

The situation became complicated for Paraguay before the break.

Miguel Almirón saw the red card after an action that left his team with one less player for a good part of the match.

From that moment on, Türkiye increased the pressure and advanced lines in search of an equalizer, while Paraguay was forced to multiply its efforts to maintain the advantage.

However, despite the numerical superiority, the Turkish team never found the necessary precision in the final meters and ended up crashing again and again against the Paraguayan resistance.

United States secures first place in Group D

Beyond the Paraguayan victory, one of the great beneficiaries of the day was the United States.

The American team had reached six points after winning its first two matches of the 2026 World Cup and was closely watching the duel between Paraguay and Türkiye.

With the Turkish defeat, none of their pursuers will be able to reach the Americans' points line at the close of the group stage.

Paraguay reached three points with this victory, while Türkiye was left without points. In this way, even if the United States loses its last match and Paraguay wins again, both teams could be equal on points, but the Americans would retain the advantage thanks to their victory in the direct confrontation on the first day.

For this reason, the Stars and Stripes team was mathematically installed at the top of the sector and will advance to the round of 32 as first place in Group D.

Thus, the North American team became the second to advance to the next round of the great tournament and that can no longer lose the lead, after Mexico did so the day before after defeating South Korea.

Paraguay keeps its aspirations alive

In addition to benefiting the United States, the result allowed Paraguay to reach the final date with real chances of qualifying.

After losing in their debut against the Americans, La Albirroja reacted in a highly demanding match and achieved a victory that could prove decisive in the fight for the second place in the group.

The South American team must close the group stage with another positive result to ensure its presence in the knockout round.

Türkiye is on the verge of elimination

For Türkiye, the defeat represents a very hard blow to its World Cup aspirations.

The European team needed to add points to stay in the fight, but once again showed offensive difficulties and ended up paying dearly for the goal conceded in the first moments of the match.

With two defeats in two appearances, their margin for error has disappeared and now it will depend on a victory with the highest possible number of goals and a combination of results in the other groups to retain any hope of advancing to the next round as one of the best third places.

Meanwhile, the big indirect winner of this match was the United States, which thanks to the Paraguayan victory can now boast assured leadership of Group D of the 2026 World Cup.