Turkiye’s 2026 FIFA World Cup campaign ends in deep frustration, with a 1-0 defeat to 10-player Paraguay at San Francisco Bay Area Stadium confirming bottom place in Group D and sealing an early exit, despite a heavy attacking display that produced many attempts but again no goals.

Matias Galarza struck after just 64 seconds, and that effort stands as the earliest goal that ultimately decided a World Cup match. Paraguay then played with 10 players from late in the first half, yet Turkiye still could not turn long spells of pressure into even a single reply.

Turkiye unleashed 32 shots and generated 2.17 expected goals, but Vincenzo Montella’s side failed to score. That wasteful pattern extended across both group fixtures, with Turkiye now at 62 attempts without a goal, the highest two-match total without scoring since World Cup records started in 1966.

Real Madrid midfielder Arda Guler created three opportunities against Paraguay and then spoke with clear disappointment. Guler said: “I will do everything in my power to make this tournament fade into oblivion throughout my career with the national team. We play for very important clubs and we should have shown it on the pitch. We didn’t manage it. We conceded a goal very early. There isn’t much to say. We are very sad and we feel ashamed. We apologise to all our people. In the upcoming tournaments we will give the best of ourselves. We play for great teams, and we should have shown it.”

Paraguay’s victory also carries historical weight. Of the last four occasions a team has won a World Cup match after having a player dismissed before half-time, Paraguay account for two, repeating a feat previously achieved against Slovenia in 2002, and again surviving heavy pressure while short-handed.

The turning point came when Miguel Almiron received a red card before the interval. The dismissal arrived for speaking to an opponent while covering the mouth, making Almiron the first player sent off at a World Cup for that specific behaviour, yet Paraguay’s defensive structure still held for more than one half.

Montella defended the squad’s effort despite the outcome. Montella said: “The team has shown its soul and has fought until the last breath. We have to accept the results, which sometimes have no logic. Football is the king of sports for a reason, and sometimes the best team is not always the one that wins, that’s sport. The easiest thing in the world would be to point at one particular player, but I am not like that. I called up these players because they are the best. Yes, I expected that we could get through the group stage, but in this type of match anything can happen.”

Paraguay coach Gustavo Alfaro highlighted the players’ mentality after protecting the narrow lead. “We can face better teams and more important or prestigious opponents, we respect this, but we are never going to feel underdogs or inferior to any other opponents,” Paraguay coach Gustavo Alfaro told reporters. “When we won the game when the final whistle was blown, I couldn’t believe it. Anyway, I told my players that I wanted to see that joy when they look each other in the eyes, and you don’t need any words. Everything is boiling, your blood, your chests, everything. And I told them that’s what I wanted to see. I want that fighting spirit, and even if people think we’re dead, we’re not dead.”

In Group D, the United States are already guaranteed first place, while Paraguay now meet Australia with second position at stake. Turkiye, having finished last after two goalless defeats, leave the tournament with strong regret over missed opportunities and a clear desire, expressed by players and coach, to respond better in future events.