Paraguay extinguished Turkey’s World Cup campaign with a grimly determined 1-0 victory at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California, in Group D on Friday. Matías Galarza’s low left-footed drive from distance after just 64 seconds – the fastest goal of the tournament, eclipsing Ismael Saibari’s earlier strike for Morocco – provided an early lead that Paraguay’s ten men would protect for almost 90 minutes of fractious, lopsided action.

The match turned on a moment of disciplinary history in first-half stoppage time. Miguel Almirón, the Paraguay captain and midfielder, covered his mouth while speaking to Turkey’s Mert Muldur during a confrontation. After a VAR review, Salvadoran referee Iván Barton produced a straight red card under FIFA’s new rule, introduced in April following high-profile incidents in European club football, which presumes any player concealing their lips while addressing an opponent is making an improper remark. Almirón became the first player sent off at a World Cup for the infraction, leaving his side with ten men for the entire second period.

Turkey, already beaten by Australia in their opener, dominated thereafter, accumulating 32 shots, 12 corners, and nearly 80 per cent possession, pinning Paraguay inside their own half. Yet a combination of wasteful finishing and obdurate defending kept the scoreline intact. Mert Muldur thumped a header against the crossbar and post in the 34th minute, Deniz Gül stabbed a late rebound wide from close range, and goalkeeper Orlando Gill repelled a succession of second-half drives. Gustavo Alfaro, the Argentine head coach, praised his players’ resilience, noting, “When they count Paraguay out, be wary,” while cautioning that the real battle lies ahead.

The result eliminates Turkey with zero points from two matches, a deeply disappointing exit for a side tipped by many European analysts as a potential dark horse. Paraguay, rebounding from a 4-1 loss to the USA, move level on three points with Australia, with whom they will contest a direct decider for the second qualification spot in Group D on 25 June. The United States, already assured of top spot, face a meaningless fixture against Turkey the same day.