TalismanDeveloping
Paraguay are up and running
Paraguay got the job done, 1–0 against Türkiye in the group stage. A good day at the office for ours — exactly the start you want, and the kind of result that makes the next one feel lighter.
Türkiye v Paraguay
71OurXI Strength65
★ The storyline
Why it matters
Group stage, Group D — points on the line.
Who to watch
★ Emerging star
Arda Guler
Türkiye
The jewel of Montella's project and the man Turkey will lean on to make the difference.
vs
Talisman
Julio Enciso
Paraguay
The creative spark Paraguay lean on — much of the attacking burden, for better or worse, rests on his boots.
Developing
Türkiye are out at the group stage
That's that, then. Türkiye are out at the group stage — the maths finally caught up. A disappointing end, but there'll be stories to tell and lessons to take from it.
Paraguay are through to the last 32
Paraguay have squeezed through as one of the best third-placed sides. Not the comfortable route — but a place in the last 32 is a place in the last 32, and the knockouts don't care how you got there.
Paraguay bow out
And there it ends. Paraguay fall to France 1–0 in the last 16, and a summer of following them is over. It stings now — but what a ride it was, and there's no shame in going out swinging.
Paraguay bow out
And there it ends. Paraguay fall to France, and a summer of following them is over. It stings now — but what a ride it was, and there's no shame in going out swinging.