Paraguay Stuns Turkey as First New Rule Red Card Makes World Cup History

Paraguay beat Turkey 1-0 on Saturday morning in a crucial World Cup group-stage match after both teams had lost their opening games. Gustavo Alfaro’s side entered as the underdog, but a determined performance, plus some luck, kept its hopes of advancing alive and unexpectedly ended Turkey’s tournament. The decisive moment for Paraguay was Miguel Almiron’s red card, which overshadowed the result.

Paraguay produced two historic moments in the first half. Matthias Galarza scored after 65 seconds with a long-range strike, setting the fastest goal of the 2026 World Cup, briefly after Moroccan midfielder Ismail Saibari had held the record with a goal after 71 seconds. Then, three minutes into first-half stoppage time, Almiron was sent off for covering his mouth while muttering toward Turkish player Mert Muldur.

VAR immediately alerted the referee, who showed a straight red without hesitation. The dismissal was issued under a new rule, nicknamed the “Vinicius rule,” which says a player who covers his mouth during a verbal exchange is automatically sent off, to prevent hidden insults or abusive comments. The rule was introduced after an incident in a Champions League playoff between Benfica and Real Madrid, when Vinicius Junior accused Gianluca Prestianni of using a racist slur, leading to an UEFA ethics case and a six-match suspension for Prestianni.

Almiron will miss Paraguay’s final group game against Australia, a match that could be decisive for qualification as one of the eight best third-placed teams. Paraguay now has three points and could still miss out on the round of 32 if it loses.

Turkey, which arrived with high expectations because of talents such as Kenan Yildiz and Arda Guler and after impressing at Euro 2024, has now lost 2-0 to Australia and 1-0 to Paraguay. Turkish media reacted with shock and criticized Guler, with one outlet asking, “Where did he go? Did his double play instead?” Turkey cannot advance because FIFA’s tiebreaker rules favor head-to-head results, and it has lost to both teams it is tied with on points.