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Elections this week a smorgasbord of competitiveness
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Key events
4 mins: Just minutes after scoring, Galarza receives the first yellow card of the match after careening into Yunus Akgun.
2 mins: Matias Galarza was brought into the starting XI for Paraguay and it’s paid off immediately. The midfielder picks up a ball and takes a step into space near the top of Turkey’s penalty area before rocketing a low shot into the bottom corner. Incredible opening moments.
GOAL! Paraguay 1-0 Turkey (Galarza 1)
It’s the fastest goal in the World Cup so far!
Kick-off!
Centre referee Ivan Barton toots his whistle and we’re underway.
And for those keen-eyed viewers who have noticed an unusual amount of hot-pink boots across the World Cup so far, including a bunch of players about to make their way out onto the grass for the anthems, here’s a great yarn from Lauren Cochrane about why.
Plenty of fans are flooding into San Fransisco Bay Area Stadium for today’s final match, which is sitting at a gorgeous 19 degrees C (67 degrees F) and clear skies. A perfect evening for football, which hopefully delivers much more focused and effective performances from both sides compared to their opening games.
Meanwhile, Brazil have held onto their 3-0 lead against Haiti to claim top spot in Group C, though it wasn’t as convincing a performance as what many had hoped from the South American giants against a relative minnow of world football. An injury to Raphinha will be a particular worry.
Matheus Cunha found the back of the net twice in the opening half, and Vinicus Jr made it two in two matches, after which Carlo Ancelotti’s side seemed more focussed on conserving energy and seeing out the clock than finding more goals. It is a decision that may come back to haunt them if goal difference is what separates them from Morocco at the top of Group C.
Sam Lewis
Turkey fans will be thrilled to see their two starlets, Arda Guler and Kenan Yildiz, starting their first World Cup match together.
Guler, the Real Madrid creative attacking midfielder, was kept largely at bay by Australia’s resolute defence a week ago, but still managed to deliver some sneaky through-balls and find small pockets of space in and around the penalty area. He’s also a free-kick specialist, so Paraguay will need to be careful not to give away too many fouls outside their own area.
Yildiz, meanwhile, made an immediate impact when he came on in the second half against the Socceroos. The Juventus winger added a new dimension to Turkey’s otherwise-muted left-sided attack, isn’t afraid to take on defenders one v one, and delivers some pin-point crosses and cut-backs for teammates to run onto.
With Guler moved into central midfield and Yunus Akgun brought onto the right side, the connection the two 21-year-olds can make could be the difference today.
Sam Lewis
A surprise start for attacker Isidro Pitta, who was so certain he wouldn’t be called up to Paraguay’s squad for the World Cup that he had already booked a holiday to Spain with his family during the tournament.
Nicknamed ‘Viking’ due to his long hair and big ginger beard, he’s found form at Red Bull Bragantino and is described as “a fighter, a tireless worker and a constant nuisance for opposition defences” in the Guardian’s World Cup player guide.
For more information about him, and plenty more fun and quirky facts about the two starting XIs, check out the guide below.
Paraguay XI
Sam Adams
Paraguay have also shuffled a few things around, making two changes from their 4-1 defeat to the USA last week.
Isidro Pitta replaces Antonio Sanabria to partner Enciso up front, while Matias Galarza comes into midfield in place of Damian Bobadilla. Here’s their squad to start today’s match.
Paraguay XI (4-4-2): 12 Gill; 6 Alonso, 3 Alderete, 15 Gomez, 4 Caceres; 10 Almiron, 23 Galarza, 14 Cubas, 8 Gomez; 25 Pitta, 19 Enciso.
Turkey XI
Sam Lewis
Three changes for Turkey following their defeat to Australia.
Juventus star Kenan Yildiz comes into the starting XI alongside right-back Mert Muldur and winger Yunus Akgun, with Orkan Kokcu, Baris Yilmaz, and Zeki Celik benched. Here’s their line-up.
Turkey (4-2-3-1): 23 Cakir, 18 Muldur, 3 Demiral, 14 Bardakci, 20 Kadioglu, 16 Yuksek, 10 Calhanoglu, 19 Akgun, 8 Guler, 11 Yildiz, 7 Akturkoglu.
Sam Lewis
Elsewhere, Brazil are maintaining a comfortable 3-0 lead over Haiti. If they maintain or extend that, they’ll leapfrog Morocco and sit pretty at the top of Group C.
Check out Jonathan Howcroft’s live updates below as we wait for the Turkey and Paraguay line-ups.
Sam Lewis
There are a few players worth keeping an eye on for both sides today.
Despite struggling to break down a resolute Australian defence, Turkey’s Arda Guler continued chipping away with neat little passes and crosses, and always found small pockets to drift into around the penalty area.
Team-mate and elder statesman Hakan Calhanoglu is Turkey’s midfield engine, while winger Kenan Yildiz made an immediate impact when he came off the bench a week ago.
For Paraguay, Julio Enciso was one of their better performers in their loss to the USA on the first match day, assisting the consolation goal from substitute Mauricio in the second half.
Andres Cubas also did his best to hold Paraguay’s shape through midfield, but was regularly overwhelmed by the USA’s press.
There will be a lot for both sides to improve upon today. Let’s see if they can.
Sam Lewis
Here’s a bit more info about where to watch today’s Turkey v Paraguay match thanks to our friend Graham Ruthven, who sets the scene for us below.
Turkey have a point to prove after a shock opening defeat to Australia. Vincenzo Montella’s side struggled to create against a low block and could run into many of the same problems again if Paraguay are able to keep things tight at the back in the way they weren’t against the USA.
Paraguay were powerless to stop the USA running over them in Los Angeles, but have much more to offer if their qualification campaign is anything to go by. Anything less than a draw would all but end their hopes of making it through to the last 32.
Want more on today’s earlier Group D game between co-hosts USA and Australia? Our team in Seattle has you covered.
Sam Lewis
We’re already starting to see the shape of some other groups as match day two continues at the World Cup.
Mexico became the first nation to secure knock-out football after a 1-0 victory over South Korea in Group A.
Canada and Switzerland both recorded wins in Group B to draw level with each other on 4 points apiece.
Finally, Morocco edged past Scotland 1-0 to move to 4 points in Group C, with Brazil currently taking on Haiti to potentially join them there.
If following every game is simply too much for you, the wonderful fellas at Guardian Football Weekly are recording daily wraps for your pleasure – now also in video format!
Sam Lewis
Looking at the group’s permutations, both Turkey and Paraguay will now have Australia squarely in their sights after the Socceroos lost 2-0 to hosts USA earlier today.
A win for either team today will bring them level on points with Australia (3), though exactly where they’ll end up – second or third – will be decided by goal difference.
The USA are all but through to the round of 32 after their comprehensive win, sailing into their third and final group game on six comfy points. Here’s Alexander Abnos on the match:
As John Denver’s Country Roads blared over the Seattle Stadium PA, they celebrated history: a spot in the knockout round secured with a game to spare, two wins to start a World Cup for the first time since 1930, a big moment for a breakout star in goalscorer Alex Freeman, and the continuation of a journey that US Soccer hope will be transformative for the sport in their country.
“We built the victory in our attitude,” Mauricio Pochettino said. “Today, even if I am not American, after the game I was emotional … To connect with the people is what we wanted.”
Preamble
Sam Lewis
Hello friends and welcome to live coverage of Group D’s second match between Turkey and Paraguay. Kick-off at San Francisco Bay Area Stadium is scheduled for 8:00pm local time (11pm EDT/4am BST/1pm AEST).
Both sides come into this crucial clash having lost their opening matches in rather startling fashion. Turkey, favoured by many to top the group, unexpectedly lost 2-0 to Australia, while Paraguay were picked apart by hosts USA 4-1 a week ago.
Neither team was especially convincing in those losses. Turkey’s dominant possession did not translate into convincing chances, creating an average xG of just 0.04 despite having two of the tournament’s most exciting young attackers in Arda Guler and Kenan Yildiz.
Paraguay, meanwhile, were defensively shambolic, allowing the USA to have 53 touches in their own penalty area: the second-most behind Curaçao’s destruction at the hands of Germany. They did pull a goal back from their only shot on target, but that glimmer of hope papered over some much deeper cracks.
As a result, each side will be looking to restore a bit of dignity and repair their negative goal difference as the door to the round of 32 slowly closes in front of them. The loser of this match will almost certainly be sent home.
This is the first high-stakes match between Turkey and Paraguay in their history, with their only other meeting coming in a friendly over a decade ago, so it’ll be a match of discovery for both sides as they try to save a bit of face.
I’ll be back with the line-ups shortly, but in the meantime, what did you think of the opening performances of these two sides? Which result shocked you more? And how do you reckon this one will play out? Send me an email at samantha.lewis.freelance@guardian.co.uk
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