Paraguay’s World Cup campaign was jolted to life in San Francisco with a feat of timing and a feat of endurance. Matías Galarza Fonda, a midfielder at Argentine club River Plate, struck the fastest goal of the tournament, rifling a shot from outside the area past goalkeeper Uğurcan Çakır after only 64 seconds. The record – which eclipsed the 71-second mark set by Morocco’s Ismael Saibari earlier in the competition – also propelled Galarza into the top 15 quickest goals in World Cup history.

The early advantage, however, proved only the prologue to a tense, fractious contest. Before the interval, Paraguay were reduced to ten men when Miguel Almirón, a former Premier League winger, was sent off for covering his mouth while speaking to a Turkish opponent. The new prohibition on such gestures, introduced by FIFA for this tournament, triggered a VAR review and a straight red card. From that point, the Albirroja dug into a deep defensive block, captain Gustavo Gómez marshalling a back line that repelled waves of Turkish pressure. Orlando Gill, the goalkeeper, produced a crucial late save from Can Uzun to preserve the lead, while Turkey hit the woodwork twice and found no way through despite the numerical advantage.

Beyond the scoreline, a peculiar subplot rippled across social media. During a scuffle that saw referee Iván Barton lose his smartwatch, Galarza was filmed picking it up and calmly fastening it to his own wrist. Footage of the moment went viral, dividing opinion between those who accused the player of theft and those who argued he simply secured the device for later return. Neither FIFA nor the Paraguayan delegation has publicly addressed the incident, and Barton was later seen sporting a watch, though its provenance remained unclear.

The result reshapes Group D decisively. The United States, already confirmed as group winners, face a Turkey side now mathematically eliminated. That leaves Friday’s meeting between Paraguay and Australia at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara as a direct shoot-out for second place. The Socceroos, level with Paraguay on three points but with a superior goal difference, need only a draw to advance to a last-32 tie in Dallas, likely against the runner-up from Group G. Paraguay, defeated heavily by the USA in their opener, must win to avoid relying on the labyrinthine calculation of best third-placed finishers. Even defeat might not end Australia’s tournament, but a loss would send them into the cruel lottery of cross-group comparisons, their fate at the mercy of results elsewhere.