World Cup: Former Bundesliga defender ends USA's unbeaten run with Türkiye's late winner
Kaan Ayhan’s 98th-minute strike against the United States helped Türkiye to leave the 2026 World Cup with three points. The German-born defender played for Schalke, Eintracht Frankfurt and Fortuna Düsseldorf before leaving Bundesliga in 2020. The Galatasaray center-back scored from the close range ten minutes into his World Cup debut.
Similarly, Hoffenheim’s Ozan Kabak played in the tournament for the first time as Vincenzo Montella made several changes to his side. Eintracht Frankfurt’s sensation Can Uzun was still a late substitute, however. Salih Özcan played the entire game for the already-eliminated side.
Mauricio Pochettino also made nine changes to the lineup that beat Australia on matchday two. Borussia Mönchengladbach’s duo Joe Scally and Gio Reyna, who scored in the win over Paraguay, started for the first time. Bayer Leverkusen’s Malik Tillman entered as a substitute, while Christian Pulisic also returned to action after missing the last game due to injury.
USA will play against Bosnia and Herzegovina in the Round of 32 as they topped Group D with six points.
