Paraguay might have registered an all-important win against Turkiye but endured a loss that could be just as critical.
In the third minute of first-half stoppage time in Santa Clara, Paraguay's experienced attacker Miguel Almiron was sent off with a red card. His crime -- not a foul or violent behaviour, but because he covered his mouth while talking to Turkey defender Mert Muldur.
Why was Almiron show the red card?
The incident resulted in a red card based on one of FIFA's new rules for the ongoing FIFA World Cup. 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, 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 Turkiye in their two World Cup matches.
Who will progress from Group D?
The U.S. has clinched Group D while Paraguay and Australia 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.
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.
