Action Underway in the National Team's Group | USA Avoids an Upset Against Paraguay! Historic Moments: New Rule Implemented for the First Time

In the first match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup Group D, the USA defeated Paraguay 4-1. Prior to the match held at the Los Angeles Stadium, the opening ceremony for the US leg of the tournament took place. Renowned artists Future, Anitta, Lisa, Rema, and Tyla took the stage during the organization, which featured spectacular visual shows. Following the procession of the flags of the 48 countries competing in the World Cup, famous American singer Katy Perry performed. The match commenced right after the shows.

Both teams started the game with mutual attacks, but the USA took the lead in the 7th minute. Pulisic dribbled past two opponents, entered the penalty box from the left, and passed the ball to McKennie. Bobadilla made a misplaced clearance from McKennie's cross into the six-yard box, sending the ball into his own net: 1-0.

The USA intensified their pressure after taking the lead. In the 31st minute, Pulisic, making a run behind the defense from the left, delivered a pass to Balogun, who was moving toward the penalty spot. Balogun side-footed the ball into the net to the goalkeeper's left: 2-0. The USA extended the lead to three in the 45+5th minute. Running onto a long pass from Tillman, Balogun shook off two defenders and fired a powerful shot from inside the penalty area into the back of the net: 3-0. The first half concluded with a 3-0 advantage for the USA.

The second half began with end-to-end attacks. While the USA slowed down the tempo, Paraguay found a goal in the 73rd minute. Meeting Enciso's pass on the left side of the box, Mauricio scored with a low drive: 3-1. Reyna had the final say in the match. Receiving the ball in the 90+8th minute, the player used the outside of his foot to find the back of the net from the right side of the penalty area, beating the goalkeeper to his right: 4-1.

Speaking after the match at the Los Angeles Stadium, American player Christian Pulisic emphasized that they controlled the game through their first-half energy. Underlining that they played dominantly throughout most of the match, Pulisic said, "We found the third goal before the first half ended. We made a great start to the tournament." Touching upon his personal performance, Pulisic stated:

"I think I’ve been playing at a good level for a while. I am honored to represent my team here. I don't need any extra motivation to play in the World Cup. I feel very good. I am happy to help the team. We haven't achieved much yet. We still have a lot to do."

The American player concluded his words by thanking the fans. Meanwhile, the "Identity Mistake Detection" rule, initiated by FIFA for this tournament, was implemented for the first time during the clash between the USA and Paraguay.

Following an incident in the 50th minute of the match, VAR intervened and overturned the yellow card initially shown to US defender Tim Ream. Following this decision, Paraguay's Miguel Almiron was cautioned with a yellow card for simulation.