FIFA World Cup 2026: Kaan Ayhan's 98th-minute winner hands Turkey dramatic victory against USA

Turkey finished their campaign in the ongoing FIFA World Cup 2026 on a positive note with a surprise 3-2 win over USA despite early elimination from the tournament. In their Group D clash against USA, Turkey claimed a last-minute win with an absolute banger from Kaan Ayhan on Friday, June 26 at the Los Angeles Stadium in Inglewood.

Dream start for USA in the first-half

USA witnessed a dream start to the match when defender Auston Trusty scored the first goal for the hosts in just the third minute, turning in a perfect corner from Sebastian Berhalter to spark early celebrations from the home crowd. However, Turkey made a rapid comeback with Arda Guler scoring an equaliser in the 10th minute to become his  country's youngest goal-scorer in the history of FIFA World Cup.

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Banking on their equaliser, the Turkish team took full control of the first half when Orkun Kokcu was played through by Eren Elmali in the 31st minute, striking past Matt Turner to hand visitors a 2-1 lead heading into the interval.

Second-half full off fightback

The United States responded forcefully immediately following the restart, with Sebastian Berhalter unleashing a brilliant effort from outside the box in the 49th minute to restore parity at 2-2. Seeking a win, USA boss Pochettino introduced senior stars off the bench, including captain Christian Pulisic, who made an electric comeback from a calf injury.

Just as the game looked to end in a 2-2 draw, stoppage-time drama took over; in the 98th minute, Can Uzun collected a pass at the far post and squared it across the face of the goal for Kaan Ayhan, who bundled it home to secure a thrilling win.