Two Minutes In. One Goal. Paraguay Stuns Turkiye and Stays Alive at the World Cup.

Matias Galarza didn’t wait long to make his mark. Two minutes into Paraguay’s do-or-die World Cup match against Turkiye, the midfielder buried a goal that flipped the entire group on its head. Paraguay won 1-0 Friday night, and just like that, the team that got blown out by the U.S. four days earlier is back in contention.

Let’s be real. Paraguay’s opener against the United States was ugly. A 4-1 loss that exposed them defensively and left them staring at an early exit. Turkiye wasn’t in great shape either after losing 2-0 to Australia in Matchday 1. Both teams needed this. Badly.

But Galarza changed the conversation in the second minute. He got on the end of a loose ball in the box, turned, and fired it past the Turkish keeper before most fans had even settled into their seats. The goal held up as the winner, and it officially eliminated Turkiye from the World Cup with a match to spare. Only Haiti had already been knocked out before them.

The red card that changed things

Paraguay almost let it slip late in the first half. Star midfielder Miguel Almiron picked up a red card — he was caught talking while covering his mouth, which FIFA has been cracking down on to prevent players from hiding offensive language. Controversial? Sure. But the rule is the rule, and Paraguay had to play the entire second half down a man.

So they parked the bus. And it worked. Turkiye had chances, but their finishing was brutal. A header sailed wide. A shot from distance went straight at the keeper. Another attempt was blocked by a defender sliding across the turf. Paraguay’s defense, which looked shaky against the U.S., suddenly turned into a brick wall.

What this means for Group D

Paraguay now sits in third place in Group D with three points, behind the United States and Australia. Turkiye is at the bottom with zero points and no path forward.

The big one comes next: Paraguay vs. Australia on June 25 in the Bay Area. That game will likely decide who finishes second in the group. Australia has the advantage on goal differential right now, but Paraguay has momentum and a scrappy mentality that could cause problems. Kickoff is at 10 p.m. ET.

One thing is certain: nobody saw this Paraguay team bouncing back like this after that 4-1 loss. But they did. And now they get a shot at advancing.