Türkiye stun the USA 3-2 with a Kaan Ayhan goal deep in stoppage time
Trusty and Berhalter twice put the USA ahead, but Arda Güler, Barış Alper Yılmaz and Kaan Ayhan in the 90+8 handed Türkiye a dramatic win at the 2026 World Cup.
Türkiye produced a dramatic comeback to defeat the USA 3-2 at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, one of the major Californian venues for the 2026 World Cup holding 70,492 spectators and known for its spectacular translucent roof, to close the third round of Group D. The match, an end-to-end thriller, was settled in stoppage time at this 48-team World Cup staged by the United States, Mexico and Canada.
The American hosts struck first. In the 3rd minute, Auston Trusty put the USA ahead from a Sebastian Berhalter pass. The Turkish response was swift: in the 10th, Arda Güler levelled after an assist from Barış Alper Yılmaz, and in the 31st Yılmaz himself turned the game around from an Orkun Kökçü pass to make it 2-1.
The USA did not give up. In the 49th minute, Sebastian Berhalter made it 2-2 to restore parity and lift Mauricio Pochettino's side, set up in a 4-3-3 with Weston McKennie, Giovanni Reyna and Ricardo Pepi. The match entered a phase of high tension with both sides chasing a winner.
The drama erupted in stoppage time. In the 90+8 minute, Kaan Ayhan completed the comeback to hand all three points to a Türkiye coached by Vincenzo Montella in a 3-4-2-1 with Arda Güler and Kenan Yıldız behind the attack. The only booking of the game went to the USA's Sebastian Berhalter (19'), who scored a goal and provided an assist.
Despite the finish, the result had a double reading. The USA, even in defeat, close Group D as leaders on six points and reach the last 16 of the 2026 World Cup. Türkiye, on the other hand, despite their epic win, bow out of the tournament in last place in the group on three points, in one of the great paradoxes of the matchday.