Turkiye beats – Kaan Ayhan scored on the final kick of the match as Turkiye edged the United States 3-2 Thursday night for the first win of its World Cup campaign. Auston Trusty and Sebastian Berhalter struck for the Americans, who had already won Group D, but late drama at S
INGLEWOOD, Calif. — Kaan Ayhan didn’t just break the tie. He waited until the very last kick, slid to finish a ball pushed past the sprawling Matt Turner, and sent the scoreboard flipping in the eighth minute of stoppage time.
Turkiye stunned the United States 3-2 on Thursday night. claiming its only win of the World Cup as a sellout SoFi Stadium erupted through the final seconds. The result didn’t change the Americans’ qualification — they had already won Group D with victories over Paraguay and Australia — but it did turn a low-stakes match into something nobody in the stands seemed ready to leave behind.
Auston Trusty put the United States ahead in the third minute. and Sebastian Berhalter restored parity early in the second half with a tying goal in the 49th minute. For stretches, it looked like the Americans’ rhythm would carry them home. Then Turkiye found its moment, and it came with the clock nearly out.
Arda Güler and Orkun Kökçü scored in the first half as Turkiye played with resilience. The performance mattered to the team, even if the group stage didn’t. Turkiye had already been eliminated after losing its first two matches despite dominating much of the play statistically. and the group exit had left the match against the United States as the best chance to salvage something tangible.
The United States’ night was also shaped by lineup decisions. Coach Mauricio Pochettino fielded nine new starters for the low-stakes game. but Christian Pulisic did return — entering in the 58th minute. Pulisic hadn’t played since the first half of the Americans’ opener due to a calf injury. and his comeback came after he said this week he is ready to play again.
His impact arrived fast, even if it didn’t find the net. Pulisic replaced Tim Weah in the 58th minute for his first game action since the Americans’ 4-1 victory over Paraguay nearly two weeks ago. He came on to an enormous roar. and he created a scoring opportunity just a couple of minutes later with a dynamic run down the left side.
In the 63rd minute, Pulisic nearly made it 3-2 again when his quick shot, set up by Berhalter, was knocked off the goalpost by Turkiye goalkeeper Ugurcan Cakir. Brenden Aaronson was there for the follow-up, but the chance ended when he botched the sitter.
Turkiye had already drawn level in the 10th minute with an excellent two-man game from Baris Alper Yilmaz and Güler. Güler then set up another goal in the 31st minute, with a pass that eventually led to Kökçü’s close-range shot. Turkiye scored on both of its shots on net in the first half.
Berhalter tied the game by running onto a loose ball about 20 yards from the net, striking it with force in the 49th minute. But Turkiye’s late push refused to stop.
The winner arrived in the 88th minute of the match timeline — an eighth minute of stoppage time — when Can Uzun got the ball in space on the back post. He pushed it past sprawling goalkeeper Matt Turner to Ayhan, who slid to knock it home.
The meaninglessness of the group outcome didn’t matter to the crowd at SoFi Stadium. The American fan base. energized by a strong start at home. kept chanting and standing even when the match demanded nerves instead of comfort. Trusty’s early goal — the seventh of the tournament for the Americans — had already carried the team’s scoring momentum.
Trusty’s strike tied the Americans’ World Cup scoring record for any World Cup before knockout play even begins. and it also sat inside a broader tournament milestone. It was the 173rd goal of the World Cup. breaking the record for the most combined goals scored in a World Cup set in Qatar four years ago. achieved in four fewer matches.
Turkiye now turns to what comes next with confidence it didn’t have on the way in. The team will face Bosnia-Herzegovina in the Round of 32 on Wednesday.
For the United States, the focus shifts immediately as well. They still head into the knockout rounds after winning Group D, but Thursday night at SoFi Stadium ended with a harsh reminder: even when the standings don’t change, the final whistle still can.
Turkiye vs United States Kaan Ayhan Christian Pulisic Sebastian Berhalter Auston Trusty Arda Güler Orkun Kökçü Can Uzun Matt Turner Ugurcan Cakir SoFi Stadium World Cup Round of 32