Türkiye out of World Cup after Paraguay defeat
Türkiye out, World Cup campaign ends after Paraguay collapse
Two games, two defeats, zero points. Türkiye are eliminated from the 2026 World Cup after a chaotic defeat to Paraguay in Vancouver on Saturday (1) (4) (5).
Paraguay scored the fastest goal of the tournament against your team (10). Isidro Pitta and Miguel Almiron made the difference, but Almiron also made history as the first player sent off under FIFA's new hand-over-mouth rule (3) (6) (7) (9).
Even against ten men, your team could not turn the tide. Posts, crossbars, missed chances, nothing fell (8). The tournament is over after two group-stage matches.
Güneş on Güler: play him centrally
Şenol Güneş spoke before the match about where Arda Güler should be deployed. His view was clear: "Ortada oynaması...", Güler belongs in the middle, not pushed wide (12).
The former national team manager's take now reads as a post-mortem on a group stage where Türkiye never found the right shape.
Fan-reaktioner
Turkish fans on Reddit reacted with a mix of fury and dark humour. The Almiron red card, a bizarre hand-over-mouth incident, became an instant meme, with several calling it the strangest sending-off they had ever seen. Others pointed the finger squarely at Montella's setup across both group games, with the consensus being that the team never looked prepared. Read the discussion thread.
Sources
- 1. faz.net — Überzahl nach Rot-Premiere: Türkei unterliegt Paraguay in wildem Endspiel
- 3. bbc.com — World Cup first sees Almiron sent off for covering mouth
- 4. t-online.de — Niederlage gegen Paraguay: Türkei scheidet bei Fußball-WM aus
- 5. n-tv.de — Was für ein Spiel: Türkei scheitert dramatisch bei Fußball-WM
- 6. t-online.de — WM 2026: Paraguayer sieht wegen neuer Regel im Türkei-Spiel Rot
- 7. kicker.de — Unrühmliche Premiere: Darum sah Almiron glatt Rot
- 8. kicker.de — LIVE! Latte, Pfosten, raus: Die Türkei im Pech
- 9. rmcsport.bfmtv.com — Coupe du monde: Almiron première victime de la règle de la main devant la bouche
- 10. hurriyet.com.tr — Paraguay'dan A Milli Takım'a turnuvanın en erken golü!
- 12. fotomac.com.tr — Şenol Güneş'ten Arda Güler sözleri! "Ortada oynaması..."