64 seconds and a red card for covering his mouth: ten-man Paraguay stun Turkiye

If you want everything that makes a World Cup unforgettable crammed into 90 minutes, Group D served it up. Ten-man Paraguay clung on for a 1-0 win over Turkiye that has left the Crescent-Stars on the brink of an early elimination, and they did it after one of the strangest red cards you will see at a major tournament.

The opening was pure lightning. Just 64 seconds in, midfielder Matias Galarza wound up from 25 metres and fired a low rocket into the bottom corner. It was the fastest goal of the 2026 World Cup so far, edging out Ismael Saibari's 71-second strike for Morocco against Scotland conjured up only hours earlier. Two records in one matchday, and the second one stuck.

The red card that changes the conversation

Then came the twist that everyone will be arguing about. In first-half stoppage time, Miguel Almiron was shown a straight red card, not for a wild challenge, but for covering his mouth while exchanging words with a Turkiye player. Under newly ratified FIFA disciplinary guidelines for this tournament, intentionally covering your mouth while arguing with an opponent or an official is now an automatic dismissal. Almiron's became the very first ejection of the 2026 World Cup under the rule.

It is the kind of regulation that will divide opinion all the way to the final. Supporters say it stamps out the off-camera abuse referees can never prove. Critics will ask whether a tournament wants its first red card of the summer handed out for a gesture rather than a foul. Either way, Paraguay were down to ten men for more than half the match and facing a fight.

A backs-to-the-wall classic

What followed was a defensive effort of real character. Reduced to ten and protecting a one-goal lead for the best part of an hour, Paraguay threw bodies in front of everything, broke up Turkiye's rhythm and refused to crack. Turkiye pressed and probed but could not find the goal their tournament desperately needed, and the longer it stayed 1-0 the more inevitable the Paraguayan celebration felt.

The result reshapes the group. In a section where the United States have already surged into the knockout rounds, this win lifts Paraguay's hopes and leaves Turkiye, beaten in both of their opening games, needing a minor miracle on the final matchday to stay alive. For a side many fancied to progress, it is a brutal place to be.

Paraguay, meanwhile, have a famous, gutsy victory to show for their nerve. Fastest goal of the tournament, first red card of the tournament, and three points earned the hard way.

Here is how Group D and the rest of the tournament are shaping up:

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