Paraguay Defeats Turkiye 1-0 Despite Midfielder Red Card

Paraguay defeated Turkiye 1-0 in a Group D match at San Francisco Stadium on Friday despite playing with ten men for the second half after midfielder Miguel Almiron was sent off. Almiron became the first player dismissed under a new rule that prohibits covering the mouth during confrontations. The rule was approved by the International Football Association Board in April.

The dismissal occurred before halftime in a match marked by multiple heated exchanges. Paraguay held the lead and withstood sustained Turkish pressure after the red card. The rule was introduced after an earlier incident in which Benfica’s Gianluca Prestianni was accused of making discriminatory remarks during a Champions League match. Prestianni received a six-match suspension.

Paraguay coach Gustavo Alfaro accepted the decision but said a yellow card would have been sufficient. He told reporters he feared football could lose its essence if teams become overly bound by technical regulations.

“The first thing I told him when he came into the dressing room was, ‘Change that face, we won, don’t feel guilty about anything. What happened brought out even more of your teammates’ fighting spirit.’" — Gustavo Alfaro, Paraguay coach England defender Dan Burn, who previously played with Almiron, noted that the player had a long-standing habit of covering his mouth and that referees had discussed the rule before the tournament. Almiron posted on Instagram thanking teammates for their effort but did not mention the dismissal. He will miss Paraguay’s final group match against Australia on June 22.”