A heroic Paraguay overcomes Almirón's ejection and stays alive in the World Cup; Brazil easily defeats Haiti

Paraguay, which played the entire second half a man down after Miguel Almirón was sent off just before halftime, secured an epic 1-0 victory over Turkey that keeps their hopes alive of qualifying for the Round of 16 of the 2026 World Cup following a poor debut against the United States.

A lone long-range goal by Matías Galarza just two minutes into the match was enough for Gustavo Alfaro’s men to secure a victory that, in addition to giving them some breathing room in an extremely difficult group, sent a disappointing Turkey, which lost to Australia on the first matchday and now has no chance of advancing to the next round, to elimination.

This result also ensures that United States, coached by Argentine Mauricio Pochettino, secure first place in Group D, just hours after becoming the second team, after Mexico, to qualify for the Round of 16 following a 2-0 victory over Australia itself.

A controversial match with questionable refereeing

The match in Santa Clara, near San Francisco, was undoubtedly marked by Almirón’s ejection, which made him the first victim of the so-called “Vinícius Rule,” which prohibits players from covering their mouths with their hands when confronting or arguing with an opponent.

 The Paraguayan midfielder who plays for Atlanta United in the MLS and was having a difficult first half made the mistake of speaking to Turkey defender Muldur for a second while covering his mouth in the 45+2nd minute. Muldur quickly realized what Almirón had done and went immediately to the referee to report the incident. After being alerted by VAR, Salvadoran referee Iván Barton, who had been heavily criticized for his handling of the match, showed Almirón a red card under the new rule.

To prevent incidents such as the alleged racist insults directed by Benfica’s Argentine player Gianluca Prestianni at Real Madrid's Vinicius in a Champions League match earlier this season, FIFA announced in late April that, starting with this World Cup, players making that gesture, which has become common on the field, will be sent off.

"If a player covers his mouth and says something, it must be presumed that he said something he shouldn't have said; otherwise, he wouldn't have had to cover his mouth," FIFA President Gianni Infantino explained in an interview with Sky Sports.

However, at least on this occasion, no racist insult by Almirón against Muldur was confirmed; Muldur appeared to have taken advantage of the rule to gain a competitive edge, which quickly sparked criticism against FIFA and the referee, who also consistently applied new rules against the Paraguayan team, such as the two-second rule on goal kicks and throw-ins, and even left Paraguay with nine men at times because of physical issues, preventing Diego Gómez from returning to the field despite a knee injury.

After Almirón’s ejection, the match became an exercise in survival for Paraguay, besieged throughout the second half by a Turkish team lacking creativity, courage and accuracy. Despite the difficult match, the team led by Alfaro kept its composure, ignored the refereeing controversy and saw its efforts rewarded with a vital victory to keep its hopes alive.

It was a great defensive performance by the Guaraní team, which on this occasion, unlike in its debut, did see several of its key defenders and midfielders, including Gustavo Gómez, Alderete, Cáceres, Alonso, Cubas, Galarza and Diego Gómez, arrive on time for every tackle and one-on-one duel against the Turkish players.

The standout player on the Paraguayan offense was Julio Enciso, the star player, who assisted on Galarza’s spectacular goal in the first half and also led several Paraguayan counterattacks that could have made it 2-0.

In Turkey, one of the few players who showed defiance was Yildiz, who ultimately wore himself out from constant battles with the Paraguayan defense, which ultimately remained untouched in an epic and controversial match.

Brazil easily defeats Haiti

Following the disappointment of a 1-1 draw against Morocco in their 2026 World Cup opener, Brazil secured a much-needed 3-0 victory over Haiti on Friday, on a day when the United States joined Mexico in the Round of 16.

Carlo Ancelotti’s first World Cup win won’t go down in history for the way his team played, but what mattered was a victory that brings the Verdeamarela closer to the knockout stage.

The downside of the match was Raphinha’s injury. The Brazilian forward from FC Barcelona sat down on the field before the end of the first half, holding the back of his right thigh, and had to be replaced by Rayan.

The Barcelona player has suffered several muscle injuries this past season that caused him to miss many matches.

Raphinha injured

In late March, also while playing for Brazil, he suffered his most recent setback, which sidelined him for just over a month.

By then, the match was already well on its way thanks to a brace by Manchester United forward Matheus Cunha (23rd and 36th minutes), one of the new additions to the starting lineup, and Vinicius sealed the victory with the final play of the first half (45th+3rd minute).

In Group C, Brazil and Morocco lead with 4 points, following the African side’s 1-0 victory over Scotland, which sits in third place with 3 points.

The Atlas Lions were led by their captain, Achraf Hakimi, the PSG player who, just hours earlier, had received confirmation that he will stand trial in France on a rape charge that the soccer player denies.

With information from AFP