The United States became the first team in Group D to officially book their place in the knockout stage after defeating Australia 2-0 in Philadelphia. An own goal from Cameron Burgess and a first-half header from Alex Freeman secured another convincing victory for Mauricio Pochettino’s side.
The result not only guaranteed the USMNT’s qualification but also confirmed them as Group D winners after Turkey suffered a shock defeat to Paraguay. Having lost both of their opening matches, Turkey can no longer progress under the World Cup’s head-to-head tiebreak rules, bringing an early end to their campaign.
Turkey Bow Out After Losing to 10-man Paraguay
Turkey’s World Cup hopes came to an end following a frustrating 1-0 defeat to Paraguay. Matías Galarza scored what proved to be the winning goal after just 65 seconds, giving La Albirroja an early advantage. Paraguay were later reduced to 10 men when Miguel Almirón received a straight red card shortly before half-time for violating FIFA’s new rule prohibiting players from covering their mouths during confrontations with opponents.
Despite enjoying a numerical advantage for the entire second half and dominating possession, Vincenzo Montella’s side failed to find an equaliser, sealing their elimination from the tournament.
As a result, the final group match between the USA and Turkey will have little significance in terms of qualification. The real drama will instead come from the clash between Paraguay and Australia, with both sides battling for the runners-up spot and potentially a place among the tournament’s best third-placed teams.
Group D Results Recap
Matchday 1
USA 4-1 Paraguay
Australia 2-0 Turkey
Matchday 2
USA 2-0 Australia
Paraguay 2-1 Turkey
For more detailed match coverage, do check out the Milan-Corner website.
Pos
Team
P
W
D
L
GF
GA
GD
Pts
1
USA
2
2
0
0
6
1
+5
6
2
Australia
2
1
0
1
2
2
0
3
3
Paraguay
2
1
0
1
3
5
-2
3
4
Turkey
2
0
0
2
1
4
-3
0
Qualification Outlook
🇺🇸 USA – Qualified as Group D winners (6 pts)
🇦🇺 Australia – Still fighting for runners-up or best third place
🇵🇾 Paraguay – Still in contention for runners-up or best third place
🇹🇷 Turkey – Eliminated after two defeats despite having an extra man against Paraguay in Matchday 2.
