La Albirroja booted group favourites Turkiye out of this year's World Cup, defeating the Crescent Stars 1-0 in San Francisco, after having a man sent off just before half-time.

The game got off to a flying start, with La Albirroja taking the lead just one minute into the fixture, thanks to a stunning long-range effort into the bottom right corner by Matias Galarza, stunning the Crescent Stars from the off. It goes down as the fastest goal scored at the tournament so far, with Galarze finding the back of the net in just 64 seconds.

The aggressive Paraguayan press put the Turks under pressure from the moment the whistle was blown, and it was clear that Gustavo Alfaro had instructed his men to get further up the pitch and put more pressure on the Turkiye players than they did the USA.

There was an atmosphere both on and off the pitch that demonstrated how important the fixture was for both sides, with both sets of players at each other's throats until the final whistle was blown. 

Once the Crescent Stars settled into the match, it played out as many had expected, with the Turks dominating possession, whilst La Albirroja sat back. However, this time around, Paraguay seemed more defensively secure, whilst Turkiye maintained their toothlessness up top.

They came close to levelling the tie in the 35th minute, when a Hakan Çalhanoğlu free-kick found the head of  Mert Müldür, whose effort came agonisingly close, bouncing off the crossbar and then the post and finally away to safety for Paraguay.

As the end of the first half approached, the game began to become stretched, and tensions rose. The referee struggled to stamp his authority on the match, which led to petulance from both sets of players, and a stop-start feel to an otherwise fascinating game.

Disaster struck for Paraguay in first half injury time, when Miguel Almiron was shown red for covering his mouth and saying something to a Turkiye player during a melee between both sides.

It is not yet known what the 32-year-old said, but the former Newcastle winger is one of the first players to be punished by the new rule, which aims to help with cases of racism on the pitch.

The frantic first period came to a close, with Paraguay going into the break holding onto a fragile 1-0 lead, with another 45 minute onslaught yet to come, this time with only 10-men.

The second half began, and it was clear to see what Alfaro had instructed of his men, get bodies behind the ball and do everything not to concede. Paraguay's shape dropped even deeper in an attempt to frustrate Turkiye further.

La Albirroja showed incredible grit to shutout the Turks in the second half with only 10-men. Julio Enciso busted a gut to keep his side in front,  acting as his nations focal point in attack, whilst also dropping back into midfield and winning back the ball on numerous occasions.

The Crescent Stars just couldn't put the ball in the back of the net, as they piled on the pressure, and pinned Paraguay into the final third constantly. Every set-piece for Türkiye was a heart-in-mouth moment for fans of the South American nation, but their team defended fiercely going into added time.

Their best chance of the game fell to Deniz Gul in the 88th minute, when the 21-year-old failed to capitalise on a spilt save from Paraguay, missing the target from just yards out.

La Albirroja managed to hold on to the lead they maintained from the very first minute, to pick up a crucial win to bolster their chances of qualifying for the knockout round, and send the Crescent Stars packing. 

After a gruelling 22-year absence from football's biggest competition, the Turks have let down their fans with an appalling group stage showing, which leaves them crashing out of the World Cup, and finishing bottom in a group many predicted them to win before the tournament began.

Their failure to break down a low block has cost them their tournament, and their failure to score a goal against a 10-man Paraguay side that was thrashed 4-1 in their opening game of the World Cup is nothing short of an embarrassment.

The Crescent Stars attack looked uninspired throughout the majority of the match, and despite having all of the ball and getting the into dangerous areas, Vincenzo Montella's men once again were failed to create anything memorable.

The Italian coach will certainly be questioned going forward, as he has managed his squad to one of the most disappointing tournament showings in their history, and for a country so crazed with football, it will not go down lightly.

Their key players, Arda Guler, Kenan Yildiz and Hakan Çalhanoğlu, put in performances to forget at this year's World Cup, and perhaps let the pressure get to them after being built up to be one of Group D's best nations before the tournament began.

It is a result for Paraguay that has bolstered their chances of qualification, as it sees them climb up to third in Group D, and in with a chance of qualifying for the knockout round in second or third position, dependant on their result against Australia in their final game of the group.

La Albirroja put on a much improved showing compared to their 4-1 defeat to the USA, as Alfaro had clearly given his men a game plan similar to that of the Socceroos, who were extremely effective in nullifying Türkiye's most talented technical players.

Julio Enciso seemed to play with a lot more freedom, and completely overshadowed Türkiye's key youngster Arda Guler. His press was aggressive and looked to drive forward whenever he go the ball, something that has Guler looked afraid of in both games he has played

Despite going a man down, the Paraguayan players executed their managers game plan to perfection, and secured one of the most important wins in the nation's history, building up to a blockbuster showdown against Australia next week.

Turkiye have exited the World Cup with a whimper, due to this year's group stages being decided on head-to-head records instead of group goal difference, and having lost to Australia last week, today's defeat guaranteed their exit.

For Paraguay, their defiant victory has kept their qualification hopes alive and has set-up their clash against the Socceroos to be vital in deciding the outcome of the two teams, and where each nation finishes come the full time whistle.

It is another major upset in Group D, which has proved itself as one of the most competitive out of the whole tournament and has provided audiences with some of the most entertaining games at this year's World Cup.