Turkiye Beat USA With Stoppage-Time Winner But Hosts Finish Top Of FIFA World Cup 2026 Group D

Turkiye signed off their FIFA World Cup 2026 campaign with a dramatic 3-2 victory over the United States after Kaan Ayhan struck deep into stoppage time in an entertaining Group D clash at Los Angeles Stadium on Thursday.

Despite suffering their first defeat of the tournament, Mauricio Pochettino's USA side finished top of Group D and advanced to the Round of 32, where they will face Bosnia and Herzegovina. Turkiye, meanwhile, bowed out despite finally registering their first points and goals of the competition.

Trusty gives USA dream start

The co-hosts wasted little time asserting themselves as Auston Trusty opened the scoring in just the third minute.

Sebastian Berhalter's inviting delivery from a corner found Trusty inside the penalty area, and the defender kept his composure to slot home from close range for an early 1-0 advantage.

USA nearly doubled their lead 10 minutes later, but Turkiye goalkeeper Ugurcan Cakir produced an excellent save to deny Brenden Aaronson's powerful volley.

Turkiye hit back before halftime

Turkiye gradually settled into the contest and restored parity in the 10th minute when Baris Alper Yilmaz picked out Arda Guler, who calmly finished inside the box to make it 1-1.

The momentum swung further in Turkiye's favour just after the half-hour mark. Eren Elmali found Orkun Kokcu inside the area, and the midfielder cut inside before firing a powerful strike into the right corner to complete the turnaround.

USA thought they had equalised before the break when Mark McKenzie headed home from a corner, but the effort was ruled out for offside.

Berhalter levels after restart

The Americans responded immediately after halftime.

Sebastian Berhalter reacted quickest to a loose ball on the edge of the area in the 46th minute, smashing a first-time effort into the bottom-left corner to restore parity at 2-2.

Christian Pulisic, introduced from the bench midway through the second half, nearly put the hosts ahead but saw his effort brilliantly tipped onto the post by Cakir.

At the other end, Kenan Yildiz came closest for Turkiye, dragging a powerful strike narrowly wide after bursting through the middle.

Ayhan snatches dramatic winner

With both teams seemingly heading towards a draw, Turkiye produced one final moment of drama in the seventh minute of stoppage time.

Following a scramble inside the penalty area, the ball fell kindly to Kaan Ayhan, whose initial effort was blocked before the defender reacted quickest to convert the rebound from close range and seal a thrilling 3-2 victory.

The late goal denied the USA the chance to complete an unbeaten group-stage campaign, although the defeat ultimately had no impact on their progress after they had already secured top spot with victories over Australia and Paraguay in their opening two matches.

Turkiye, meanwhile, ended their World Cup campaign on a high after a difficult tournament, collecting their first win before exiting the competition.