Türkiye stun USMNT in stoppage time to end perfect World Cup group campaign

Türkiye struck deep into stoppage time to hand the United States their first defeat of the FIFA World Cup, coming from behind to claim a dramatic 3-2 victory in Los Angeles and deny Mauricio Pochettino's side a perfect Group D campaign.

Although the result had no bearing on qualification, with the United States already assured of the top spot and Türkiye eliminated after defeats to Paraguay and Australia, the contest delivered five goals, end-to-end action, and a late twist that left the Americans heading into the knockout stage with questions to answer.

Pochettino took the opportunity to rotate his squad heavily, making wholesale changes with an eye on the Round of 32 after four regular starters were rested to avoid suspension.

Tyler Adams, Antonee Robinson, Chris Richards, and Folarin Balogun all watched from the sidelines, while Weston McKennie dropped into a deeper midfield role alongside several players making their first appearances of the tournament.

The changes appeared inspired when the United States made the perfect start after just 134 seconds.

Defender Auston Trusty rose highest to head home and register the second-fastest goal in USMNT World Cup history, trailing only Clint Dempsey's famous strike against Ghana in 2014.

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The early breakthrough, however, only sparked Türkiye into life.

Just eight minutes later, Real Madrid star Arda Güler produced a moment of brilliance to orchestrate the equalizer.

The gifted playmaker cleverly dummied Oguz Aydin's pass before continuing his run into space.

Baris Alper Yilmaz collected the loose ball and squared it for Güler, who calmly finished beyond Matt Turner after escaping the attention of Mark McKenzie.

The Americans thought they had regained the lead midway through the first half when McKenzie bundled the ball into the net following a goalmouth scramble, only for the assistant referee's flag to cut celebrations short.

Türkiye capitalized on that reprieve and completed the turnaround through another slick attacking move.

Once again, Güler was at the heart of the attack, combining neatly with Kenan Yildiz before releasing Eren Elmali down the left.

The overlapping full-back delivered a dangerous cross into the area where Orkun Kökçü arrived to guide his finish into the far corner and hand the Turks a 2-1 advantage.

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Despite already securing top spot in the group, the United States refused to let the match drift away and emerged from the break with renewed purpose.

Their reward came just three minutes into the second half when Sebastian Berhalter produced a thunderous equalizer.

McKenzie's long throw confused the Turkish penalty area before the ball broke kindly to the midfielder, who unleashed a fierce first-time strike that bounced beyond Ugurcan Çakir to restore parity at 2-2.

Sensing an opportunity to build momentum ahead of the knockout rounds, Pochettino introduced Christian Pulisic just before the hour mark after the AC Milan forward recovered from the calf problem that kept him out of the victory over Australia.

The captain's arrival immediately lifted the tempo as he embarked on a dazzling run down the left flank that forced Çakir into action before Brenden Aaronson somehow failed to convert the rebound with the goal at his mercy.

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Moments later, Pulisic again came within inches of scoring after connecting with Berhalter's inviting pass, only for Çakir to produce an outstanding fingertip save that diverted the effort onto the post before Türkiye scrambled clear.

The Americans continued to push for a winner, but Türkiye defended resolutely before delivering the decisive blow in stoppage time to snatch victory and end the United States' unbeaten group campaign heartbreakingly.

There was further concern for Pochettino in the closing minutes when Trusty injured his left ankle and required lengthy treatment.

Having already used all available substitutions, the defender bravely returned to the pitch despite obvious discomfort as his side searched desperately for another equalizer.

While the defeat ended the United States' hopes of completing a flawless group stage after earlier victories over Paraguay and Australia, they still advanced to the Round of 32 as Group D winners.

They will now switch their attention to a knockout fixture in San Francisco on 1 July.

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Their opponents are yet to be confirmed, with Bosnia and Herzegovina, Qatar, and Senegal all still in contention. Still, Pochettino will hope the lessons from a dramatic afternoon against Türkiye help sharpen his side before the tournament enters its decisive phase.
WORLD CUP - GROUP STAGE (ROUND 3)

Group D

Friday

Paraguay -Australia 0-0 (0-0)

Turkey -USA 3-2 (2-1)

/Gular 10, Yilmaz 31, Ayhan 90+8- Trusty 3, Berhalter 49/