After two weeks of games, Group D of the World Cup has officially come to a close. Co-host USA topped the group with two early wins, Australia finished second thanks to a superior goal difference to Paraguay in third, and Türkiye are going home early in last place. Let’s take a look back at the best and worst moments from Group D.
Best Match
There’s a couple candidates for best match in this group, and both involve the USMNT. The final game against Türkiye was an end to end thriller. It started with a very early USA goal before the visitors took a lead into halftime. The US equalized through Sebastian Berhalter before Türkiye dramatically won at the death with a 98th minute dagger. However, there were lots of backups playing for both sides and the result ultimately had no effect on the group. That’s why I’m picking the opening match between USA and Paraguay as the best.
It was the perfect start to what Americans will be hoping is a long and successful World Cup run. In front of a packed house at Los Angeles Stadium with A-listers everywhere you looked, the main event did not disappoint.
The first half of football that the USMNT played was some of the best in the entire World Cup thus far. Christian Pulisic was back to his best after an underwhelming season with AC Milan. He danced through two Paraguayan defenders to set up the early own goal then assisted the second as his cutback found Folarin Balogun. The Monaco striker then got his brace just before halftime with a beautiful left footed finish into the top corner.
Pulisic went off at halftime and with that so did a lot of the USA’s attacking output. Paraguay showed a better account of themselves after the break and managed to pull one back through a counterattack finished off by substitute Mauricio. The game came to an end in style, with Gio Reyna coming off the bench and scoring a fantastic trivela to make it a 4-1 win for the Stars and Stripes. This game set the tone for how the group would go for the USMNT.
Worst Match
While all eyes in the USA were on the dramatic 3-2 loss against Türkiye, the other two teams in Group D were wrapping up their group stage finale. Australia and Paraguay had everything to play for. The winner would finish second in the group and the loser would be at risk of elimination. That is, of course, if there was a winner.
Both countries headed into the match knowing that a draw would send them both to the knockouts. Australia would finish second thanks to their better goal difference and Paraguay’s four points would be enough to cement them as one of the best third place finishers. So, that’s exactly what happened. In what was one of the worst matches in the World Cup to this point, Australia and Paraguay played out a 0-0 draw in which neither team looked particularly close to scoring. They combined for a grand total of 0.79 xG as both defenses did their job.
Most Surprising Players
Malik Tillman
Coming into the World Cup, there was a lot of concern about the midfield depth for the USA. Mauricio Pochettino made the surprising decision to leave defensive midfielders Tanner Tessmann and Aidan Morris at home, instead entering the tournament with only four true options to play in the double pivot. One of those was Malik Tillman.
The German-American didn’t have the best debut season for Bayer Leverkusen. He arrived as the club’s joint-record signing and was tasked with filling the incredibly talented shoes of Florian Wirtz. Needless to say, Tillman did not provide anywhere near what Wirtz had done for Leverkusen. He finished the season as a backup and failed to provide a single assist.
Traditionally an attacking midfielder, Tillman has been tasked with a deeper role so far this World Cup. He’s played next to Tyler Adams in the double pivot and looked fantastic. Tillman got the assist on Balogun’s second goal against Paraguay with a perfect through ball and was absolutely everywhere in that game. He created the joint-most chances with three and took the joint-most shots with five. The 24 year old ran the show in midfield against Australia as well, winning the ball back time and time again as well as showing his creativity in the final third. If Tillman continues to be this good, the USA could very well shock some people.
Patrick Beach
Everyone assumed that Maty Ryan would be Australia’s first choice goalkeeper this summer. The 34 year old has earned 104 caps for the Socceroos and serves as team captain. However, manager Tony Popović saw something in young Patrick Beach. The Melbourne City shot stopper started against Switzerland in a friendly just before the World Cup and did enough to earn a surprise start against Türkiye in the first match.
In that game, Beach stole the headlines. Australia’s gameplan was executed to perfection as they scored twice on the counter and stunned Türkiye, who were many people’s favorites to win the group. Their star-studded attack couldn’t find a way past the 22 year old in goal. Beach made eight saves and kept a clean sheet on his World Cup debut as the Socceroos collected a huge three points. He was again solid in the finale against Paraguay, making two more saves and earning another clean sheet.
Most Disappointing Players
Kenan Yıldız
Türkiye came into the World Cup as a popular dark horse pick. The rationale was that they had two budding superstars that have burst onto the world stage in the last couple years. Real Madrid wonderkid Arda Güler is one, Juventus winger Kenan Yıldız is the other. Expectations for the duo were sky-high and they couldn’t live up to them.
Güler at least showed several flashes of his quality. Yıldız had fleeting moments but could never provide the final touch of class. Nursing an injury before the tournament, he came on at halftime in the opening match against Australia with his nation down 1-0. Although he managed to lead the game in touches in the opposition box with 10, all six of his shot attempts were blocked.
Yıldız then came into the starting lineup against Paraguay in a game that Türkiye absolutely had to get a result in. He once again had 10 touches in the opposition box and once again took six shots. Similarly to the last game, nothing he tried paid off. Only one of his shots was on target, an effort from outside the box that went comfortably into the keeper’s hands. Türkiye failed to score for the second straight game and saw themselves eliminated with a game to spare.
In that final match, Yıldız had his worst performance yet. He failed to create a single chance, didn’t attempt a single dribble, and only took two shots, neither on target. At just 21 years old, Kenan Yıldız has his whole career ahead of him but it wasn’t the World Cup debut he would’ve hoped for.
Damián Bobadilla
The World Cup got off to the worst possible start for Paraguay’s Damián Bobadilla. Starting in midfield, he was tasked with stopping the likes of Weston McKennie and Malik Tillman in the opening match. Just seven minutes in, he scored an own goal to put his country behind 1-0. It didn’t get much better from there. Bobadilla lost all four of his duels and was dribbled past four times. The American midfield ran circles around him and it cost Paraguay as they went into halftime down 3-0. Bobadilla was promptly subbed off during the interval.
That performance meant Bobadilla was on the bench in the second match against Türkiye. After coming off at halftime in the first game, he came on at halftime in the second due to his side being reduced to 10 men just before the break. In the entire second half, Bobadilla completed just one pass. Although his country escaped with the win, manager Gustavo Alfaro had seen enough from Bobadilla. He only came on in the very last minute of the final match against Australia and will likely play a limited role in the knockouts.
Best Moment
The most interesting moments in Group D both came at the expense of Miguel Almirón. Paraguay’s veteran playmaker has had a World Cup to forget, but at least he’s provided neutrals with some entertainment. The International Football Association Board (IFAB) implemented a few key rule changes ahead of the World Cup that will also be used in the biggest leagues around the world starting next season. Almirón gave fans and players alike a tutorial of what not to do under these new laws.
Early on in the second half of Paraguay’s opening match against the USA, Almirón got the ball down the right wing. He ran at USA center back Tim Ream and attempted to beat him on the dribble, but went down and was awarded a free kick. Referee Danny Makkelie issued a yellow card to Ream. Then VAR stepped in. Under the new mistaken identity law, VAR is allowed to look at yellow cards that were given to the wrong player. They correctly saw that there was no contact from Ream and the decision was reversed, rescinding the yellow from the USA captain and instead showing it to Almirón for simulation.
Things went from bad to worse for Almirón in the dying moments of the first half against Türkiye. He received a historic red card, becoming the first player to ever be sent off for covering their mouth while speaking to an opponent. This rule came into place after the controversial incident between Gianluca Prestianni and Vinícius Júnior in a Champions League match, where Prestianni covered his mouth and racially abused the Real Madrid star. Fast forward a few months and the Paraguay midfielder showcased the new law to the whole world. Safe to say the group stage did not go the way Almirón may have envisioned it. Let’s see what new rule he manages to break in the round of 32.
What’s Next
After finishing top of the group, the USA will travel to the Bay Area for their round of 32 clash with American-born Esmir Bajraktarević and Bosnia & Herzegovina. That match is July 1 @ 8pm ET / 5pm PT.
Australia finished second and will face Group G’s fellow second-place finisher Egypt. That match is July 3 @ 2pm ET / 11am PT and scheduled for Dallas, TX.
Paraguay have advanced as one of the eight best third place finishers and be squaring off against Germany in Boston. That match kicks off on Monday, July 29 @ 4:30pm ET / 1:30pm PT.
Türkiye are heading home after finishing last place in Group D.
