Türkiye's World Cup campaign came to a painful end on Friday as they suffered a 1-0 defeat to Paraguay despite dominating large parts of their Group D clash.
An early strike from Matías Galarza, scored just 64 seconds into the match, proved decisive as Paraguay secured a vital victory and kept their qualification hopes alive.
For Türkiye, it was a frustrating repeat of familiar problems. They created chances, controlled possession and spent much of the game on the front foot, but once again failed to turn opportunities into goals.
The South Americans produced a determined defensive display after taking the lead through Galarza's long-range effort, the fastest goal of the tournament so far.
Paraguay's task became even more difficult in the second half when Miguel Almiron was sent off, leaving his side to play the remaining minutes with 10 men.
Yet Türkiye could not find a way through.
Backed by noisy support in the San Francisco Bay Area, Paraguay absorbed relentless pressure and defended with discipline to protect their narrow advantage until the final whistle.
Türkiye enjoyed overwhelming possession and finished with 32 attempts on goal. However, their finishing let them down at the worst possible moment.
Juventus forward Kenan Yıldız and Real Madrid youngster Arda Güler were among those unable to convert promising opportunities as frustration grew throughout the match.
The defeat mirrored Türkiye's opening loss to Australia, another game in which they created numerous chances but failed to make them count.
The result leaves Türkiye out of the tournament after two defeats from two matches.
Head coach Vincenzo Montella admitted the outcome was difficult to accept but praised his players for their commitment.
"I'm sad but I'm also very proud of my players. They gave everything right up until the final whistle. That's what football is like," he said.
For Paraguay, the victory revives hopes of reaching the knockout stages. For Türkiye, it marks an early and disappointing exit from a tournament that began with high expectations.
Gen Z protests swept 34 German cities on Saturday (31 October) over education, living costs and military service proposals. Violence erupted in Fra...
Iran designated Britain's Royal Navy and Royal Air Force as terrorist organisations on Sunday, (1 November), and classified the country's f...
Since 2021, only 9 per cent of $8 billion in humanitarian aid for Afghanistan can be traced beyond initial recipients in public re...
The U.S. has approved the sale of 500 Patriot PAC-3 missiles to Ukraine in a deal worth an estimated $2.1 billion, but Kyiv could face years of delays before receiving the weapons it urgently needs to defend against intensifying Russian attacks.
Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei has ordered Iran's armed forces to respond to any threat immediately and without geographical limits in statements posted to social media platforms on Saturday (31 October).
Demonstrators carrying Iranian flags and placards supporting the hijab gathered outside the Azerbaijani Embassy in London.
A Chinese-made AI chip has matched Nvidia’s H200 in tests conducted by its developer, marking a potential breakthrough in China’s efforts to reduce its dependence on foreign technology.
A hacking group linked to North Korea is widely believed to be behind the theft of $6.3 billion from cryptocurrency giant Binance, a cyberattack that experts describe as the largest cryptocurrency heist on record.
Gen Z protests swept 34 German cities on Saturday (31 October) over education, living costs and military service proposals. Violence erupted in Frankfurt, where shops were looted and police reported Molotov cocktail attacks.
Iran designated Britain's Royal Navy and Royal Air Force as terrorist organisations on Sunday, (1 November), and classified the country's foreign intelligence agency, MI6, as a hostile group, according to a statement from the Iranian Foreign Ministry.
Thousands protested in Albania's capital, Tirana, on Saturday (31 October), demanding Prime Minister Edi Rama's resignation over perceived corruption allegations and dissatisfaction with the government over a lack of jobs and poor education standards.
Russia has agreed to work with Ghana on developing a 2,000-megawatt nuclear power plant following talks at the Russia-Africa Summit in Moscow, Ghanaian Foreign Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa said on Saturday.
Foreign ministers from the U.S., Japan, Australia and India raised concerns over export restrictions and economic coercion at a Quad meeting in Atlanta, U.S., on Saturday, 31 October 2026, according to their joint statement.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment