Galarza Scores World Cup's Fastest Goal as Paraguay Leads Turkey 1-0 at Halftime

Paraguay has taken a 1-0 lead against Turkey at halftime in their second Group D match of the 2026 World Cup, with an exceptionally early goal from Matías Galarza. The midfielder found the back of the net just 64 seconds after kickoff, setting a new record for the fastest goal of the tournament so far.

Galarza, a 24-year-old player for Atlanta United in Major League Soccer, broke the previous record of 1 minute and 11 seconds, which was set earlier on the same day by Morocco's Ismael Saibari in his team's match against Scotland. The Paraguayan team's swift opening goal has put them in a strong position early in the crucial group stage game.

Despite their advantage, Paraguay faced a setback just before the halftime whistle. Miguel Almirón was shown a red card in the third minute of first-half stoppage time, meaning Paraguay will have to play the second half with one player less. The match is being held in Santa Clara, California.