Türkiye ended their FIFA World Cup campaign with a measure of redemption on Friday, as Kaan Ayhan struck with virtually the final kick of the match to seal a thrilling 3-2 victory over co-hosts the United States, handing Vincenzo Montella's side their first and only win of the tournament.
Already eliminated after narrow defeats to Australia and Paraguay despite dominating long stretches of both matches, Türkiye finally found the cutting edge that had eluded them throughout the group stage. Ayhan's dramatic winner, deep into the eighth minute of second-half stoppage time, ensured the Crescent-Stars left the tournament with three points and something positive to build on.
The result had no bearing on qualification. The United States had already secured top spot in Group D with victories over Paraguay and Australia and will face Bosnia and Herzegovina in the round of 32 on July 1 in Santa Clara, California. Still, the entertaining contest delivered five goals, end-to-end action and a dramatic finale before a packed crowd in Southern California.
The Americans, heavily rotated by coach Mauricio Pochettino, struck almost immediately.
Auston Trusty needed just three minutes to open the scoring, meeting Sebastian Berhalter's inswinging corner with a first-time finish at the near post for his first international goal in his 10th appearance.
The early breakthrough briefly energized the home crowd, but the makeshift U.S. lineup struggled to establish any rhythm as Türkiye began exploiting the spaces between midfield and defense.
Their persistence paid off in the 10th minute.
Real Madrid midfielder Arda Güler, one of Türkiye's brightest performers throughout the tournament, collected a pass from Barış Alper Yılmaz before calmly finishing to score Türkiye's first goal of the World Cup and level the match at 1-1.
The goal also placed Güler in the history books. At 21 years and 120 days, he became the youngest Turkish player ever to score at a World Cup, surpassing Emre Belözoğlu's record set in 2002.
Türkiye continued to dictate the tempo after the equalizer and completed the turnaround in the 31st minute.
Orkun Kökçü's effort took a slight deflection off Yılmaz before beating goalkeeper Matt Turner, who was making his first start of the tournament after Matt Freese featured in the opening two matches.
The United States thought they had reclaimed the lead moments earlier through Mark McKenzie following another dangerous set piece, only for the goal to be ruled out for offside.
Instead, Türkiye entered halftime ahead 2-1 after producing their most effective attacking display of the tournament.
The hosts responded quickly after the break.
Berhalter, who had already assisted the opening goal, capped an impressive performance in the 49th minute when Türkiye failed to clear a long throw-in, allowing the midfielder to unleash a powerful strike into the bottom-left corner from the edge of the penalty area.
Pochettino then welcomed back his biggest attacking weapon.
Christian Pulisic made his return in the 58th minute after missing the Australia match and recovering from the calf injury that forced him off at halftime against Paraguay.
The U.S. captain immediately injected pace and urgency into the attack. Within minutes, he burst behind the Turkish defense only to be denied by goalkeeper Uğurcan Çakır before forcing another superb fingertip save with a deflected effort moments later.
Despite the renewed pressure, Türkiye remained dangerous on the counterattack and continued to expose gaps in the American defense.
Montella, who made seven changes to his starting lineup after the team's elimination, watched his substitutes make the decisive impact.
As stoppage time ticked away and the match appeared destined to finish level, chaos unfolded inside the U.S. penalty area.
Following sustained pressure, the ball broke kindly to substitute Kaan Ayhan at the far post, where the experienced defender calmly poked into an unguarded net in the eighth minute of added time, silencing the crowd and completing a memorable Turkish comeback.
The victory offered long-awaited reward for a Turkish side that had fired 62 shots across its previous two defeats but failed to score. This time, their attacking intent finally translated into goals and, ultimately, a victory.
For the United States, attention now quickly turns to the knockout stage, though concerns remain after Trusty was carried off on a stretcher late in the match with an apparent hamstring injury.
Pochettino had rested several regular starters, including Folarin Balogun, Tyler Adams, Chris Richards and Antonee Robinson, all of whom were carrying yellow cards and risked suspension before disciplinary records reset after the group stage.
Five Americans, Miles Robinson, Joe Scally, Brenden Aaronson, Mark McKenzie and Giovanni Reyna, made their first World Cup starts as part of the heavily rotated lineup.
Although the defeat denied the Americans a perfect group-stage record, their place atop Group D had already been secured.
For Türkiye, however, Ayhan's last-gasp finish provided a fitting reward after a frustrating tournament, allowing Montella's side to return home with renewed confidence instead of lingering regret.
Among those attending the match at Los Angeles Stadium were Leonardo DiCaprio, Brad Pitt, Will Ferrell, Owen Wilson and Paris Hilton.
