Group D is done at the 2026 World Cup, and while the co-host Americans are moving on with all the momentum a top seed could want, the lasting image might be the most cynical 90 minutes of football anybody has sat through in years. Australia and Paraguay played a 0-0 draw in their finale that felt less like a match and more like a mutual non-aggression pact. They combined for 0.79 expected goals. Neither team wanted to lose the ball, because neither team wanted to finish third. A draw sent both through — Australia on goal difference, Paraguay as one of the best third-place finishers — so they basically shook hands and killed the clock for an hour and a half. It worked. It was also awful to watch.
The best game in the group? That was USA’s opener against Paraguay. The Americans came out flying in front of a star-packed crowd at Los Angeles Stadium. Christian Pulisic looked like himself again after a quiet season at AC Milan. He forced an own goal in the seventh minute by dancing through two defenders, then set up Folarin Balogun for a second. Balogun added another before halftime with a left-footed finish into the top corner. Pulisic went off at the break, Paraguay pulled one back on a counter, and then Gio Reyna came off the bench and scored a trivela from outside the box to seal a 4-1 win. The place was electric. It felt like a launching pad.
Malik Tillman Quietly Running Things
One of the biggest questions about USA before the tournament was midfield depth. Mauricio Pochettino left Tanner Tessmann and Aidan Morris home, which meant he was rolling with just four true options in the double pivot. Malik Tillman was one of them, and he’s looked like a different player. He had a rough debut season at Bayer Leverkusen — tasked with replacing Florian Wirtz, he finished the year as a backup with zero assists. But playing deeper next to Tyler Adams in this World Cup, Tillman has been everywhere. He assisted Balogun’s second goal against Paraguay with a perfect through ball, created three chances, took five shots. Against Australia, he was winning the ball back constantly and still finding time to create in the final third. If he keeps this up, the US could make some noise.
The Kid Who Stole the Show for Australia
Everybody figured Maty Ryan would start in goal for the Socceroos. He’s the captain, 104 caps, the veteran presence. Manager Tony Popović saw something else. Patrick Beach, a 22-year-old from Melbourne City, got the start against Türkiye in the opener and instantly became a story. Australia’s gameplan was simple — sit deep, hit on the counter — and Beach made eight saves to keep a clean sheet on his World Cup debut. He backed it up with two more saves and another clean sheet against Paraguay. The kid is now the reason Australia is still playing.
Türkiye’s Young Stars Went Dark
Türkiye came in as everybody’s dark horse. Real Madrid’s Arda Güler and Juventus winger Kenan Yıldız were supposed to be the breakout duo of the tournament. Instead, they’re going home in last place. Güler showed flashes. Yıldız couldn’t find one. He came off the bench against Australia with his team down 1-0, had 10 touches in the box and six shots, and every single one got blocked. He started against Paraguay in a must-win and had the exact same stat line: 10 box touches, six shots, one on target, an easy save. In the finale against the US, he didn’t create a chance, didn’t attempt a dribble, took two shots, neither on target. He’s 21 and he’ll be fine long-term. But this was not the debut anybody expected.
Paraguay’s Damián Bobadilla had a tournament he’d rather forget. He scored an own goal seven minutes into the opener, lost every duel, got dribbled past four times, and got pulled at halftime. He played 45 minutes against Türkiye and completed one pass. He touched the field for one minute against Australia. His World Cup is basically done.
And then there’s Miguel Almirón. The Paraguay playmaker became a one-man tutorial on the new IFAB rules. First, he drew a free kick against Tim Ream that VAR overturned under the new mistaken identity rule — no contact, Ream’s yellow got rescinded, Almirón got one for diving. Then, in the final group game against Türkiye, he became the first player ever sent off for covering his mouth while speaking to an opponent, a rule brought in after the Prestianni-Vinícius incident last season. Two new rules, two Almirón highlights. Not the ones he wanted.
Up next: USA faces Bosnia and Herzegovina in the Bay Area on July 1. Australia plays Egypt in Dallas on July 3. Paraguay drew Germany in Boston on July 29. Türkiye is headed home.
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