Türkiye's tournament unravelled further: a 0–1 defeat to Paraguay left the talented Turks pointless after two games and facing an early exit, while Paraguay's grit kept them alive.

This was a textbook smash-and-grab: Paraguay scored through Matías Galarza after just 64 seconds — the fastest goal of the 2026 World Cup — then defended for their lives, even after Miguel Almirón's straight red card in first-half stoppage time left them a man down for the rest of the match. Despite that disadvantage, Türkiye's 78.6% possession (a top-six figure in World Cup history), 32 shots and 2.1 xG produced nothing, while Paraguay needed only 7 shots and 0.32 xG to win. The 12-0 corner count and 50-12 edge in box touches show Türkiye camped in the final third but lacked a cutting edge; with 5 shots on target and over two xG unconverted, Orlando Gill and the Paraguayan back line vastly outperformed their expected goals against. The result eliminated Türkiye, whose 62 shots without a goal across their two group games is the most by any team over a two-match span since 1966.