The first surprise exit of the World Cup happened overnight as Türkiye crashed out of the tournament following a 1-0 defeat to Paraguay.
Despite dominating for a second consecutive match, Türkiye – second favourites in Group D – once again failed to turn their superiority into goals.
Here are our Scout Notes from the game, featuring match stats from our World Cup Toolkit page.
PARAGUAY 1-0 TURKIYE
- Goal: Galarza
- Assist: Enciso
- Tackle bonus: Galarza | Yüksek, Çalhanoglu,
- Top points scorers: Galarza (11), Gill (10)
TEAM STATS
PLAYER STATS
SCOUT NOTES
- There were two notable surprises when the teamsheets dropped. Winger Barış Alper Yılmaz ($6.1m) started on the bench, while regular right-back Zeki Çelik ($4.3m) did not feature at all.
- Türkiye completely dominated the match from start to finish. They controlled close to 80% possession, generated more than 2.0 xG (expected goals), amassed 32 attempts on goal and won 12 corners.
- Paraguay stunned their opponents after just two minutes with the fastest goal of the tournament so far. Breaking forward at speed, Julio Enciso ($6.6m) laid the ball into the path of Matías Galarza ($4.8m), whose low strike from distance nestled into the bottom corner to hand Paraguay a dream start.
- The game quickly became heated. Challenges flew in from both sides and the intensity continued to rise. A free-kick from around 30 yards gave Hakan Çalhanoğlu ($7.1m) the chance to showcase his delivery. His dangerous cross found Mert Müldür ($4.1m), whose powerful header crashed against both the crossbar and the post.
- One of the biggest moments arrived just before half-time. Paraguay talisman Miguel Almirón ($6.0m) covered his mouth during a confrontation, and after a VAR review the referee produced a straight red card.
- Paraguay suddenly faced an uphill battle to preserve their lead with 10 men. Meanwhile, Türkiye needed to find a breakthrough to avoid becoming the second team eliminated from the World Cup.
- The second-half statistics highlighted Türkiye’s dominance even further. They controlled 80% possession, produced 20 attempts on goal, created three big chances and generated 1.58 xG.
- Paraguay still threatened on the counter early in the half. A short throw found Enciso, who wriggled past two defenders before cutting inside from the right, although his left-footed effort drifted comfortably wide.
- Türkiye soon resumed their relentless pressure. Kenan Yıldız ($7.0m) delivered an inviting cross from the left that picked out Deniz Gül ($4.4m), but the striker headed straight at the goalkeeper from close range.
- The chances kept coming. Barış Alper Yılmaz, introduced at half-time, produced a superb pass to release Can Uzun ($5.3m). His effort forced a save, with the rebound falling kindly for Gül, who somehow failed to hit the target from only a few yards out. Fortunately for him, the offside flag had already gone up.
- Türkiye simply could not turn their dominance into goals. It was the same problem that frustrated them in Round 1. They created plenty of promising situations, but their finishing repeatedly let them down. Calhanoglu registered a whopping 10 combined shots and key passes, Yildiz nine. Yildiz and Ferdi Kadioglu ($4.3m) are, indeed, the two leading players for goal attempts and chances created in the World Cup so far. Profligacy has been the issue, not a dearth of creativity.
- It means their Round 3 match against the USA is now a complete dead rubber, as the co-hosts are now assured of top spot in Group D. There could be starting XI changes on both sides.
- Paraguay, meanwhile, bounced back brilliantly after their opening defeat to the USA, defending resolutely. Enciso looked dangerous throughout and could easily have produced a double-digit Fantasy haul, although Almirón’s suspension could prove a significant blow heading into their final group match. It’s winner takes second spot in Paraguay’s game against Australia, although the losers could yet sneak through in third place. A draw would likely serve both sides well.
