Even though the World Cup is coming to a close, Turkey isn’t leaving the tournament empty-handed. Vincenzo Modella’s team, thanks to a goal by Aihan in the 98th minute, defeated the U.S. 3-2 in a match held in Inglewood, California, for Group D.

The hosts, however, didn’t… lose anything, as they had already secured first place and will play next Thursday (July 2, 3:00 a.m.) against Bosnia in the Round of 32. In contrast, their neighbors were eliminated from the World Cup, having played only for pride after being knocked out in the second matchday.

The Match

The hosts, despite numerous lineup changes (the most significant being that Pulisic was left out of the starting lineup), took the lead as early as the 3rd minute, when, following a corner kick, Trasti—left unmarked at the far post—had time to control the ball and slot it home to make it 1-0.

Modela’s team reacted quickly, and in the 10th minute, Güler found himself one-on-one and equalized with a beautiful finish.

In fact, Turkey took the lead before halftime, with Kokçu finishing off an excellent team play with a header in the 31st minute to give his team the lead.

The U.S. didn’t give up, and in the 49th minute, Berhalter sent the ball into the net with a volley just inside the box to make it 2-2. In fact, with Pulisic entering the game, the Americans had the best chances to win the match.

The final say, however, belonged to Turkey, as after a beautiful run by Güler down the right and a cross into the box, Aihan scored with a close-range shot in the 98th minute to make the final score 3-2. It was a victory celebrated wildly by the entire squad, but it was meaningless, as the team had already been eliminated in the previous round.

MVP: Arda Güler was the standout player for the Turkish team. The Real Madrid midfielder scored the equalizer, and his incredible dribble set up the play that led to the winning goal in the 98th minute.

Highlights of the match

Lineups:

Turkey (Modela): Çakır, Çelik (84′ Soyuncu), Kabak, Bardakçı, Elmalı, Özcan, Kokçu (88′ Aihan), Aydın (92′ Muldur), Yildiz (84′ Uzun), Güler, Yılmaz (92′ Kahveci).

USA (Pochettino): Turner, Skalli (77′ Freeman), McKenzie, Robinson, Trasti, Berhalter, McKennie (86′ Tillman), Weah (58′ Pulisic), Aaronson (77′ Zendejas), Reina (77′ Dest), Pepi.

Referee: Gorbal (Algeria)

*photo source: AP