Paraguay earned its first win of the tournament on Saturday morning in San Francisco, beating Turkey 1-0 in the second round of Group D. The result eliminated Turkey before the final group match, while Paraguay kept its hopes of advancing alive.
Gustavo Alfaro changed four players from the team that lost 4-1 to the United States in the opener, and the move paid off immediately. Matias Galarza, one of the changes, scored after just 64 seconds with a strike from outside the penalty area. It was the fastest goal of the World Cup so far and proved to be the only goal of the match.
Turkey controlled the game for long stretches, just as it had against Australia, finishing with 79% possession and a clear advantage in attacking volume, 32 shots to Paraguay's seven. But only five of Turkey's attempts were on target, compared with two for Paraguay, and the Turks never found an equalizer. Mart Molder hit the crossbar in the 35th minute, and Miguel Almiron was sent off in the 45th minute plus three, but even that did not help Turkey.
After a painful double miss in the 89th minute, the outcome was effectively settled. In the final round, Paraguay will face Australia in an attempt to secure qualification, while already-eliminated Turkey meets the United States. The match was played at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara and was officiated by Ivan Barton of El Salvador.
