Miguel Almiron gets a historic red card in World Cup game against Turkiye
Miguel Almiron made history at the World Cup when he got a red card in the first half of the match between Turkiye and Paraguay, as Paraguay won 1-0. Matias Galarza had an amazing start in his World Cup debut by scoring in just the second minute with a fantastic shot.
Turkiye controlled the rest of the first half but couldn’t break down Paraguay’s strong defense. Paraguay worked really hard to keep Turkiye from scoring, but things got tougher after Almiron became the first player to be penalized under a new World Cup rule from the International Football Association Board (IFAB).
Almiron, who used to play for Newcastle United, was shown a red card just before the first half ended. He covered his mouth while talking to a Turkiye player, which is banned under the new rule. The referee had stopped the game so a Paraguayan player could get treatment after a clash with a Turkiye player, but the Turkiye team was upset because they felt the player didn’t have a head injury and couldn’t continue an attack.
During the heated moment, Almiron was seen covering his mouth while speaking to an opponent. The referee checked the VAR and quickly decided to send him off. This was Almiron’s third red card playing for Paraguay.
The new rule is clear: if a player covers their mouth while talking to an opponent, they get a straight red card. This rule started after Vinicius Jr accused Gianluca Prestianni of making a racist comment during a Champions League game.
In the second half, Turkiye kept pressing but couldn’t score, so they were knocked out of the World Cup. Paraguay moved on, while Turkiye became the second team to leave after Haiti lost 3-0 to Brazil earlier that day.
Fans have shared their thoughts online and most don’t feel sorry for Almiron, since this rule was clearly explained before the tournament. One fan said: “It’s really dumb. Almiron must have known about the rule after what happened with Vini. A win keeps Paraguay in the World Cup, and he could have cost them their spot by covering his mouth. Such a mistake!” Another added: “Almiron is so careless. After everything that happened, how could he cover his mouth? He hurt his own team in the World Cup.” And one more said: “The rule is new but everyone was warned before the tournament. Almiron was the one being silly.”
With this rule now in play, people will be watching closely to see if any other players make the same mistake or if they learn from Almiron’s experience.