Paraguay's Matias Galarza celebrates scoring what would become the fastest goal of the tournament so far and knock Turkiye out of the 2026 World Cup, at the San Francisco Bay Area Stadium, California, on June 19, 2026 [Carlos Barria/Reuters]By ReutersPublished On 20 Jun 202620 Jun 2026Ten-man Paraguay eliminated Turkiye from the 2026 World Cup with a courageous defensive effort to seal a dramatic 1-0 win after suffering a dismissal before half-time, with the fastest goal of the tournament proving the difference.
Midfielder Matias Galarza wound up from 25 metres (27 yards) and fired a low rocket home after 64 seconds on Friday evening to eclipse Ismael Saibari’s 71-second strike in Morocco’s 1-0 win over Scotland hours before.
Paraguay midfielder Miguel Almiron was given a straight red card in first-half stoppage time for putting his hand over his mouth in a confrontation with Turkiye’s Mert Muldur, the first to fall foul of the new rule at the tournament.
It made Paraguay’s task that much harder, but they weathered wave after wave of Turkiye attacks to claim the win in a remarkable turnaround following their opening 4-1 demolition by the United States.
Almiron was sent off in first-half stoppage time after the exchange with Muldur, with the dismissal confirmed by the video assistant referee (VAR) as Paraguay led 1-0.
Players who cover their mouths with their hand, arm or shirt in confrontational situations receive a red card.
The rule came into effect after Benfica’s Gianluca Prestianni was accused of making discriminatory slurs to Real Madrid’s Vinicius Jr with his mouth covered.
