Australia reach knockouts after Paraguay draw; USA top Group D despite Turkey defeat

FIFA World Cup: Australia booked their place in the Round of 32 after holding Paraguay to a hard-fought 0-0 draw in their final Group D match on Thursday, while the United States finished top of the group despite suffering a dramatic 3-2 defeat to Turkey in Los Angeles.

In Short

• Australia secured the Round of 32 with a 0-0 draw vs Paraguay
• Turkey ended their campaign with a 3-2 win vs the United States
• The USA topped Group D and will face Bosnia in the Round of 32

Australia secured a place in the FIFA World Cup Round of 32 after playing out a tense 0-0 draw with Paraguay in their final Group D match on Thursday, while the United States finished top of the standings despite a dramatic 3-2 defeat to Turkey.

The Socceroos needed only a point to progress and produced a disciplined display in Santa Clara to advance to the knockout stage for the third time in seven World Cup appearances. Paraguay finished third and must now wait to discover whether their tally is enough to earn one of the best third-placed spots.

Turkey, already eliminated before kick-off, bowed out with an impressive victory over the group winners in one of the most entertaining contests of the day.

AUSTRALIA DO ENOUGH TO PROGRESS

It was far from a classic as both teams struggled to establish any attacking rhythm in a match littered with fouls and stoppages.

Australia controlled possession for long periods and fashioned the better opportunities. Cristian Volpato and Jackson Irvine both tested goalkeeper Carlos Coronel, while Jordan Bos came within inches of finding the breakthrough twice during a frantic finale.

Paraguay struggled to create openings despite knowing victory would have guaranteed qualification. Julio Enciso remained their brightest attacking outlet, carrying the ball forward with purpose, but lacked support in the final third.

Australia vs Paraguay, FIFA World Cup: HIGHLIGHTS

Their best opportunity arrived in the closing moments when Mauricio Magalhaes unleashed a strike from inside the area, only to be denied by a comfortable save.

The goalless draw was enough to send Australia through, while Paraguay's World Cup future now hinges on results elsewhere.

TURKEY SIGN OFF WITH STUNNING WIN

Turkey ended their campaign on a high by scoring deep into stoppage time to defeat the United States 3-2 at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles.

Having already wrapped up first place in the group, United States coach Mauricio Pochettino opted to rotate heavily, making nine changes to his starting line-up with one eye on the knockout stage.

The hosts made an ideal start as Auston Trusty powered home Sebastian Berhalter's corner in the third minute.

Turkey restored parity seven minutes later through Arda Guler before turning the game around in the 31st minute. Eren Elmali's surging run split open the American defence and Baris Alper Yilmaz finished the move to hand his side a 2-1 lead.

The United States responded immediately after the restart when Berhalter scored his second goal involvement of the evening by finding the net in the 49th minute.

Pulisic, returning after recovering from a calf injury suffered in the opening group match, entered shortly before the hour mark and transformed the American attack. The AC Milan forward struck the post in the 63rd minute before Brenden Aaronson squandered the rebound from point-blank range.

The visitors refused to settle for a draw and found their reward in the eighth minute of added time. Alex Freeman produced a superb goal-line clearance to keep out Can Uzun's effort, but Kaan Ayhan reacted quickest to the rebound and fired into the empty net to seal all three points.

Although the defeat ended the United States' unbeaten run, it had no bearing on the standings as Mauricio Pochettino's side had already secured first place and a Round of 32 meeting with Bosnia and Herzegovina on July 1. Australia progressed alongside them, while Paraguay's qualification hopes remain uncertain.

- Ends