LOS ANGELES: Türkiye secured a dramatic 3-2 victory over the United States in their final FIFA World Cup Group D match, scoring a stoppage-time winner at SoFi Stadium, while Paraguay and Australia played out a goalless draw in the group’s other fixture.
Backed by a crowd of 70,492 fans, the United States took an early lead in the third minute when Austin Trusty headed home from a Sebastian Berhalter corner.
Türkiye responded quickly, with Arda Güler equalising in the 10th minute before Barış Alper Yılmaz completed the comeback in the 31st minute, finishing off a move created by Eren Elmalı to give his side a 2-1 halftime advantage.
The hosts levelled the score again four minutes into the second half as Sebastian Berhalter found the net to make it 2-2.
The Americans came close to regaining the lead in the 63rd minute, but Christian Pulisic’s effort struck the post before Brenden Aaronson squandered another clear opportunity.
The decisive moment came deep into stoppage time. In the 90+8th minute, Can Uzun’s shot was blocked on the goal line by Alex Freeman, but Kaan Ayhan reacted quickest to the rebound, firing into the empty net to seal a thrilling 3-2 win for Türkiye.
In the other Group D match played in Santa Clara, Paraguay and Australia shared the points after a 0-0 draw. Australia enjoyed more than 60 percent possession but failed to break down Paraguay’s disciplined defence.
