The Turkish national team officially bid farewell to the 2026 FIFA World Cup, by receiving its second consecutive loss in Group D against Paraguay with a goal without reply, on Saturday morning , June 20, at the "San Francisco Bay Area" stadium, in the second round of the tournament.
Matias Gallarza opened the scoring early with a surprise goal for Paraguay with a powerful shot from outside the box just 63 seconds from the start, becoming the fastest goal of the tournament, surpassing Ismael Sibari's goal in Morocco's victory over Scotland, which came 70 seconds later.
The Turkish national team intensified its attempts to modify the result, and Mert Muldur was close to scoring the equalizer in the 35th minute, but his header from Hakan Çalhanoğlu's cross hit the crossbar first and then the post.
The Turkish national team received a morale boost before the end of the first half, after Paraguay's Miguel Almiron received a red card directly in stoppage time after reviewing the video technology after covering his mouth while talking to Mert Muldur.
In the second half, the Turkish team controlled the game thanks to its numerical superiority, but failed to find the back of the net by goalkeeper Orlando Gil, who blocked two long attempts from Merih Demiral and a weak header from Deniz Gul.
The final minutes witnessed tremendous pressure from the Turkish national team in front of the Paraguayan goal, and a succession of wasted opportunities, most notably a shot by Jean Ozun in the 89th minute, which was saved by Gil, and followed by Merih Demiral with a header that passed next to the post.
Turkey and Haiti out of the World Cup
With this result, the balance of the Al-Najma and Al-Hilal team remained without points to be at the bottom of the table and could not qualify among the top eight teams occupying third place, due to direct confrontations, as they lost to Australia (0-2) in the first round, and then to Paraguay.
The Turkish national team became the second bidder to the tournament, in one of the biggest surprises, after the Haiti team, which lost by a hat-trick to Brazil in Group C, which also includes Morocco and Scotland.
Paraguay, on the other hand, raised its score to 3 points to occupy third place on goal difference behind runners-up Australia, and their clash with next Friday will decide the second qualifier for the round of 32 with the United States, which secured the top of the standings.
Coach Montella comments on Turkey's exit from the World Cup
Italian coach Vincenzo Montella appeared in front of the media taking full responsibility, refusing to be drawn into criticizing his players or blaming anyone for the elimination.
Montella stressed that the easiest reaction after any defeat is to accuse a particular player, noting that he chose the best available elements and that all the players gave everything they had in defense of the national team's colors.
The Italian coach said that the team fought until the last moment and showed a strong personality on the field, stressing that the fighting spirit was not absent from his players despite the difficult situation and the great pressures that surrounded the match.
He added that everyone dreamed of reaching the next round, but the nature of football sometimes makes it harsh and unfair, especially in matches decided by small details or a single moment of focus.
Montella expressed his conviction that the final result does not fully reflect what the Turkish team has done on the field.
He explained that his team had the most possession of the ball, created attacks and reached the opponent's areas, but the lack of accuracy in finishing chances prevented this superiority from being translated into goals.
He pointed out that football does not always reward the better side, but rather rewards the team that is most able to exploit the decisive moments, considering that this fact represents one of the secrets of the most popular game in the world.
The Italian coach stressed that everyone must accept the result, no matter how harsh or illogical it may seem, because such situations are an integral part of the nature of major competitions.
Montella did not hide the sadness he feels after missing the opportunity to continue his journey in the tournament, but at the same time stressed that he does not feel any regrets about the effort made by the coaching staff and players during the past period.
The U.S. team overtakes its Australian counterpart and qualifies for the second round
The U.S. national soccer team qualified for the second round of the 2026 World Cup by beating Australia by two goals without reply, on Friday, at Seattle Stadium, in the second round of Group D.
The victory was the second in a row for the host U.S. team, after beating Paraguay 4-1 in the first round, to raise its score to 6 points in first place, 3 points ahead of the runners-up Australia in anticipation of the other meeting in the group that brings together Turkey and Paraguay on Saturday.
With this result, the U.S. team became the second team to officially secure its presence in the round of 32 of the tournament after Mexico from Group A, after beating South Korea at dawn on the same day with a goal without reply.
The hosts imposed their control over the course of the match from the beginning and intensified their attacking pressure and succeeded in translating their superiority by taking an early goal in the 11th minute through friendly fire.
The goal came after Monaco star Volarin Balogun launched an organised attack from the left before slotting inside the box and slotting a creeping cross inside the six-yard area, only for Australian defender Cameron Burgess to mistakenly convert into his own goal.
Alex Freeman extended the U.S. lead with a second goal in the 43rd minute with a header after a ball bounced off the Australian defence from Sergino Dest's powerful shot from outside the box.
German referee Felix Zveier initially canceled the goal, but the VAR proved the goal to be correct, and the U.S. team ended the first half with a 2-0 lead.
In the second half, the Australian team tried to get back in the match by launching a number of offensive attempts but did not rise to the threat of American goalkeeper Matt Freeze.
Coach Montella comments on Turkey's exit from the World Cup
Italian coach Vincenzo Montella appeared in front of the media in a calm and responsible tone, stressing that he bears full responsibility for the Turkish team's exit, and refuses to be dragged into criticizing his players or blaming any of them for the consequences of elimination.
Montilla said the easiest reaction after the defeat was to look for a "scapegoat", but he chose the best available elements, and all the players, as he put it, "gave everything they had in defence of the national team's colours", stressing that the team fought until the last minute and showed strong character despite the enormous pressure.
He added that everyone dreamed of making it to the next round, but football is "harsh and sometimes unfair", especially when matches are decided by small details or a single moment of lack of focus. He said that the result does not fully reflect what the Turkish team presented, pointing out that his team was the most possessive and creating chances, but the lack of accuracy in the final touch prevented them from translating superiority into goals.
Montella stressed that football does not always reward the better side, but the team that knows how to exploit the decisive moments, considering that this is "one of the secrets of the most popular game in the world". He called on everyone to accept the result, no matter how harsh it may seem, because it is part of the nature of major tournaments.
The Italian coach concluded by stressing his deep sadness over the loss of the opportunity to continue in the tournament, but he does not feel any regrets about the effort made by the technical staff and players during the past period, stressing that "everyone gave everything they could."
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