=Already eliminated from the 2026 FIFA World Cup, Türkiye signed off in style with a dramatic 3-2 victory over already-qualified United States in their final Group D fixture, thanks to Kaan Ayhan’s stunning winner deep into stoppage time.
Although the result had no impact on Türkiye’s elimination, it ensured the Crescent-Stars ended their campaign on a positive note. The United States, meanwhile, had already secured top spot in the group before kick-off and rotated heavily ahead of the knockout stage.
Head coach Mauricio Pochettino made nine changes to the American starting XI following the victory over Australia that had already guaranteed first place in Group D.
The hosts made a dream start, taking the lead after just three minutes. Sebastian Berhalter delivered a deep corner that was knocked down by Auston Trusty, who reacted quickest to smash a left-footed finish into the net for his first World Cup goal.
Rather than crumble after the early setback, Türkiye responded with impressive resilience. Just seven minutes later, teenage sensation Arda Güler combined brilliantly with Barış Yılmaz before calmly slotting past the goalkeeper to level the match. The goal also saw Güler become Türkiye’s youngest-ever FIFA World Cup goalscorer.
The United States struggled defensively throughout the opening half, and Türkiye completed the turnaround in the 32nd minute. Eren Elmalı burst down the flank before squaring the ball for Barış Yılmaz, who finished confidently to hand the visitors a 2-1 advantage.
The Americans regrouped after the interval and restored parity in the 48th minute. Berhalter, after providing the assist for the opening goal, capped an outstanding individual display by rifling a powerful strike from outside the penalty area into the top corner to make it 2-2.
Pochettino introduced several first-team stars, including Christian Pulisic, in search of a winning finish, but Türkiye had the final say.
With the match seemingly destined to end level, Kaan Ayhan pounced inside the penalty area in the eighth minute of stoppage time (90+8′), scrambling home the decisive goal to secure a memorable 3-2 victory for Türkiye.
Despite finishing their World Cup journey with three points, Türkiye bowed out after earlier defeats had already ended their hopes of progressing.
The United States, meanwhile, advanced to the Round of 32 as Group D winners and will shift their focus to the knockout stage, where they will look to continue their quest for World Cup glory despite ending the group phase with a disappointing defeat.
Credit Photo : TFF
