Turkey claimed their first victory of the World Cup with a dramatic 3-2 win over an experimental United States side on Thursday, as Kaan Ayhan scored deep into stoppage time in the hosts’ final Group D match.
The defeat did not affect the United States’ progress, with Mauricio Pochettino’s side having already secured top spot in the group before kick-off. The coach made nine changes to his starting line-up, prioritising next Wednesday’s last-32 tie against Bosnia-Herzegovina.
Turkey, already eliminated after defeats to Paraguay and Australia and without a goal in the tournament, were playing only for pride.
The United States made another fast start, taking the lead after just under three minutes. Defender Auston Trusty, making a rare appearance, was left unmarked at the far post to head home from a corner. It was the Celtic player’s first international goal and the second-fastest World Cup goal in United States history.
Turkey responded quickly. After failing to score from their previous 62 attempts in the tournament, they finally found the net in the 10th minute. Real Madrid forward Arda Guler allowed the ball to run cleverly past Mark McKenzie before Baris Alper Yilmaz crossed back into the area for Guler to finish past Matt Turner.
The match became increasingly physical, with Turkey’s bench briefly spilling onto the pitch to protest a challenge by Sebastian Berhalter, who was shown a yellow card. The United States thought they had regained the lead when McKenzie found the net, but the effort was ruled out for offside.
Turkey completed the turnaround in the 31st minute. Guler released Eren Elmali down the left, and the wing-back cut the ball back for Yilmaz to guide home and put his side ahead for the first time in the tournament.
The hosts levelled four minutes into the second half. McKenzie launched a long throw into the area, and after Turkey only partially cleared the danger, Berhalter struck a low finish into the bottom corner.
The crowd in Los Angeles welcomed Christian Pulisic just before the hour mark as the forward made his first appearance since aggravating an injury against Paraguay two weeks earlier. Nicknamed “Captain America”, he was greeted with loud chants from the home supporters and immediately threatened, seeing two close-range efforts blocked before another attempt looped off his shin and struck the post.
Turkey continued to push forward and found the decisive goal deep into stoppage time. Ayhan finished from close range to seal a 3-2 victory, prompting jubilant celebrations from the Turkish players.
After the final whistle, the United States squad gathered in a huddle as they turned their attention to the knockout stage.
Pochettino insisted the defeat would have no impact on his team’s confidence or momentum.
“We had other priorities. We did want to win; we wanted the victory, but there were other things that we need to balance out, and I made the very best decisions,” he said.
“What does it mean to win three (group) matches if you’re going to be losing the next one, and you’re not going to be winning the World Cup?”
He added: “If we had won the game, was it going to change my mood, my momentum? No. Winning this game, or not winning this game, it’s not going to change.”
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