Turkiye beats USA 3-2 with stoppage-time winner
The USA scored inside three minutes to take a 1-0 lead, but Turkiye answered just seven minutes later to level things up. Turkiye then took the lead in the 31st minute, going into halftime up 2-1 after the US had started fast but lost their rhythm late in the first half.
Still, the Americans showed they had plenty of quality of their own. The USA finished with 19 total shots compared to Turkiye's 10, and seven shots on target compared to just four.
Midfielders Giovanni Reyna and Brenden Aaronson kept creating danger, and the USA leveled the score again in the 49th minute to make it 2-2, setting up a nervy finish.
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From there, both teams threw everyone forward, using all their substitutes well before the hour mark. Turkiye's goalkeeper Ugurcan Cakir came up big again and again, finishing with five saves as the Americans pushed for a winner. The US also had five offside calls go against them as they searched for a breakthrough that never came.
Instead, it was Turkiye who found the late magic. In stoppage time, with both teams pushing for the win, Turkiye scored to make it 3-2 and steal all three points. It's their first win, and first goals, of the tournament, after starting with a 2-0 loss to Australia and a 1-0 defeat to Paraguay.
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Young stars Arda Guler and Kenan Yildiz were lively all game for Turkiye, while veteran Hakan Calhanoglu helped settle things down in midfield after the US fought back.
For the USA, there's still plenty to like in how they played, more shots, more shots on target, and more corners (9 to Turkiye's 2), but in football, the scoreline is what counts, and they walked away with nothing.
Turkiye's win turns their tournament around overnight, while the USA, despite playing the better football for long stretches, now have to wait nervously on other results to see if they can still make it through to the next round.