The United States booked their place in the World Cup knockout stage with a 2-0 victory over Australia on Saturday (Friday in the US) despite the absence of injured captain Christian Pulisic. An early own goal from Cameron Burgess put the hosts ahead before 21-year-old Alex Freeman scored his first World Cup goal with a header just before halftime, a strike awarded after a VAR review.
The Americans dominated much of the contest and comfortably protected their lead after the break, moving to six points from two matches and securing progression to the last 32 with a game to spare. Freeman said the result highlighted the squad’s depth, while coach Mauricio Pochettino expressed hope that Pulisic would return for the final group game against Türkiye.
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Later in the day Paraguay reignited their World Cup campaign with a gritty 1-0 victory over Türkiye in Group D, despite playing the entire second half with 10 men. Matías Galarza scored the tournament’s fastest goal so far after just 64 seconds, and Paraguay held firm against relentless Turkish pressure to secure all three points.
Miguel Almirón was sent off before halftime following an incident involving Mert Müldür, but Paraguay’s disciplined defence and goalkeeper Orlando Gill frustrated Türkiye, who dominated possession and registered 32 shots without scoring.
The result confirmed the United States as Group D winners, kept Paraguay’s knockout-stage hopes alive, and eliminated Türkiye after a second consecutive defeat.
Here is how Group D points table looks
| Rank | Team | MP | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | USA (Q) | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 1 | +5 | 6 |
| 2 | Australia | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 3 |
| 3 | Paraguay | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 4 | -2 | 3 |
| 4 | Türkiye (E) | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | -3 | 0 |
Q: Qualified for the Round of 32
E: Eliminated from the World Cup
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