Paraguay Leads Turkey 1-0 at Halftime: Galarza's 65-Second Strike Sets Record, First Player Sent Off for Covering Mouth

On June 20, Beijing time, a crucial World Cup Group D second-round clash began. The Turkish men's squad, having lost their first game, faced Paraguay's men's team. After the first half, Paraguay, reduced to ten men, held a 1-0 lead over Turkey.

Just 65 seconds into the match, Galarza fired a stunning long-distance shot from outside the penalty area, handing Paraguay an early advantage.

Galarza also broke the record for the fastest goal in this World Cup. Earlier, in Scotland's 0-1 loss to Morocco, Sebari scored for Morocco after 70 seconds. This goal also became Paraguay's second-fastest in World Cup history.

In the 4th minute, Galarza was booked for a sliding tackle, which also sparked a confrontation between players from both sides.

In the 13th minute, Turkey, trailing, fought back. Guler received a pass from Akturkoglu and shot first-time, but the ball went over the bar.

In the 30th minute, from a Turkey corner, Yildiz attempted a bicycle kick at the edge of the area, but Hill collected the ball.

In the 35th minute, Turkey nearly equalized. Calhanoglu sent in a free-kick cross, and Muldur's powerful header hit the crossbar.

In the 37th minute, Enciso played a through ball from the edge of the box, and Caceres blasted a shot inside the area that was saved.

During stoppage time, Almiron was sent off with a red card for covering his mouth while speaking to an opponent, per the rules. Paraguay played the remainder with ten men. Almiron became the first player in World Cup history to be red-carded for covering his mouth.

After 11 minutes of added time, Paraguay, down to ten men, went into halftime with a 1-0 lead.

[Starting Lineups]

Paraguay Starting XI (4-4-2)

Goalkeeper: 12-Orlando Hill

Defenders: 4-Caceres, 15-Gustavo Gomez, 3-Alderete, 6-Junior Alonso

Midfielders: 10-Almiron, 14-Cubas, 23-Galarza, 19-Enciso

Forwards: 8-Diego Gomez, 25-Pita

Substitutes: 1-Gatito Fernandez, 22-Gaston Olvera, 2-Gustavo Velazquez, 5-Fabian Balbuena, 13-Jose Canale, 26-Maidana, 11-Mauricio, 16-Damian Bobadilla, 17-Romero Gamarra, 20-Braian Ojeda, 7-Ramon Sosa, 9-Antonio Sanabria, 18-Alex Arce, 21-Gabriel Avalos, 24-Gustavo Caballero

Turkey Starting XI (4-2-3-1)

Goalkeeper: 23-Cakir

Defenders: 20-Kadioglu, 3-Demiral, 14-Bardakci, 18-Muldur

Defensive Midfielders: 16-Yuksek, 10-Calhanoglu

Midfielders: 19-Akgun, 8-Guler, 11-Kenan Yildiz

Forward: 7-Akturkoglu

Substitutes: 1-Gunok, 12-Altay Bayindir, 2-Zeki Celik, 4-Soyuncu, 13-Eren Elmali, 15-Kabak, 25-Akaydin, 5-Ozcan, 6-Kokcu, 22-Kaan Ayhan, 9-Deniz Gul, 17-Kahveci, 21-Baris Alper Yilmaz, 24-Oguz Aydin, 26-Uzun