Ayhan scores at the death as Türkiye bow out with a win

Ayhan wins it at the death

Your team bowed out with a win. Türkiye 3–2 USA on Thursday night, and Kaan Ayhan scored the winner deep into stoppage time (1) (2). Arda Güler and Orkun Kökçü had you 2–1 up after Auston Trusty put the hosts ahead early (2) (3). Sebastian Berhalter equalised for the USA after the break, then Ayhan struck at the death (10). 70,492 were in the stadium (13).

Güler and Kökçü deliver when it matters

Two shots on target, two goals, after 62 shots without scoring all tournament (2) (5). Arda Güler levelled in the 10th minute, his first World Cup goal (8). Orkun Kökçü put Türkiye ahead just after the half-hour mark (2). It was the kind of finishing this squad was built to produce.

McKennie: 'Of course you want to win every game'

USA had already won the group and rotated heavily, Christian Pulisic started on the bench (9). But Weston McKennie was blunt after the late loss: the hosts wanted all three points regardless (12).

What it means for the USA

The defeat does not change the Americans' knockout path, they face Bosnia and Herzegovina in the last 32 (3). But conceding a stoppage-time winner at home, against a team already eliminated, is not how you want to roll into the knockout rounds (12).

Montella stays, the rebuild starts now

TFF president İbrahim Hacıosmanoğlu has already backed Vincenzo Montella to continue. A squad worth 473.7 million euros, Euro 2024 quarter-finalists, and still out at the group stage. That stings. But this 3–2 gave you something to hold onto, a reminder of what this group can do when it clicks.

Fan reactions

The mood shifted fast. After Trusty scored in the third minute, the threads were quiet, but Güler's equaliser seven minutes later lit it up. By the time Ayhan scored in stoppage time, the relief was real. One stat circulating captures the tournament perfectly: Türkiye failed to score from their first 62 shots across three matches, then converted both of their first two against the USA. That is the 2026 World Cup in one sentence.