Paraguay Secures Narrow Win Over Türkiye Despite 'Mouth-Covering' Red Card

Paraguay (FIFA ranking 37th) defeated Türkiye (32nd) despite being reduced to ten men following a "mouth-covering" incident, boosting their chances of advancing to the Round of 32 at the 2026 FIFA World Cup in North America.

Paraguay secured a 1-0 victory over Türkiye in their second Group D match of the group stage, held at the Bay Area Stadium in San Francisco, California, on the 20th (KST).

Having suffered a 1-4 defeat to the United States in their first group stage match on the 13th, Paraguay now holds a record of one win and one loss (3 points), placing them third in the group behind the United States (two wins) and Australia (one win, one loss).

This victory marks Paraguay's first World Cup win in 16 years, since their match against Slovakia at the 2010 South Africa tournament.

On the other hand, Türkiye, having suffered another blow after their loss to Australia, has been eliminated from the group stage regardless of the result of their remaining match against the United States.

In their match against Australia, Türkiye dominated with 62% ball possession (compared to Australia's 27%) and 30 shots, but failed to score, resulting in a 0-2 loss.

The flow of the match against Paraguay was similar, with Türkiye recording 31 shots to Paraguay's 7.

Paraguay's opening goal came shortly after the match began.

Paraguay penetrated Türkiye's right flank, and Matias Galarza received a precise pass from Julio Cesar Enciso in front of the penalty arc before firing a powerful left-footed shot into the net.

Following the goal, Paraguay tightened their defensive line to lock down the goal, successfully fending off Türkiye's persistent attacks to maintain their one-goal lead.

A turning point occurred late in the first half when a red card was issued. Paraguay forward Isidro Pitta attempted a rough tackle and then appealed to the referee, claiming he had been stepped on by an opposing player, which led to a physical altercation between the two teams.

Paraguay midfielder Miguel Almiron was seen covering his mouth while speaking toward Türkiye's Muldur. After a video review, the referee confirmed the action and issued a red card to Almiron.

Ahead of this World Cup, FIFA introduced a new rule to prevent hate speech, such as racism, which mandates the expulsion of any player who covers their mouth while confronting an opponent.

This is the first time a player has been sent off under this regulation.

Despite being at a numerical disadvantage, Paraguay had all their players contribute to defense throughout the second half, successfully thwarting critical scoring opportunities to preserve their victory.

(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.