Paraguay got the win it critically needed Friday night. But it also endured a loss that could be just as critical.
In the third minute of first-half stoppage time during the La Albirroja’s match against Turkey in Santa Clara, Calif., Paraguay forward Miguel Almiron was sent off with a red card, putting his team a man down the remainder of the match.
With Paraguay up 1-0, Almiron covered his mouth while talking to Turkey defender Mert Muldur. That drew the red card based on one of FIFA’s new rules for this World Cup.
Paraguay hung on to win the match 1-0, giving them three points in two matches. But Almiron, who entered the match with disciplinary concerns as he drew a yellow card in the 4-1 loss to the United States in their World Cup opener on June 12, will now miss Paraguay’s final Group D match — against Australia in Santa Clara next Thursday.
Both Paraguay and Australia lost to the United States and beat Turkey in their two World Cup matches. The U.S. has clinched Group D while Paraguay and Turkey will now play for second place and the group’s other spot in the knockout round. If the teams play to a draw, Australia would advance based on the better goal differential (0 to Paraguay’s minus-2), but Paraguay still would have a solid shot at moving on as one of the top eight third-place teams.
According to a FIFA press release: “At the discretion of the competition organizer, any player covering their mouth in a confrontational situation with an opponent may be sanctioned with a red card.”
The rule was put in place in an attempt to stem racist comments being directed by one player to another with the offending player covering his mouth so as to not get caught.
Almiron, 32, is in the second season of his second stint with MLS team Atlanta United. He scored six goals in 31 matches last season but has yet to score in eight matches in 2026. He previously played for Atlanta in 2017 and ’18 before spending seven seasons with Newcastle United of the Premier League.
–Field Level Media
