Matchday 9 of the 2026 FIFA World Cup saw a lot of action, with plenty of late drama across matches. Here we recount what happened across the four matches, the latest first:
Türkiye 0 - 1 Paraguay
Türkiye became the second side, after Haiti, to be eliminated from the 2026 World Cup after a 1-0 loss to Paraguay. Matias Galarza scored the winner 64 seconds in, a long-range howitzer that became the earliest winner ever scored in World Cup history.
There was plenty of controversy too in the charged encounter, with Miguel Almiron becoming the first player to be sent off according to the newly introduced rule which states that players can't cover their mouth while speaking during a confrontation.
Paraguay, therefore, played the entire second half with 10 men, but held off a blunt Türkiye side to go level with Australia on three points in Group D ahead of the last group stage match.
Brazil 3 - 0 Haiti
(Cunha 22', 36', Vinicius 45 +3')
Brazil eliminated Haiti from the 2026 FIFA World Cup with a 3-0 win that could have been more pronounced if they had shown more urgency in the second half.
Matheus Cunha got things going as he replaced Igor Thiago in the starting XI and prodded Brazil ahead with a scrappy opener. A stunning finish made it two for him and Brazil minutes later, and Vinicius Junior made it three with a superb finish one-on-one with the keeper.
Haiti looked solid in the second half, even as Brazil eased up, but could do nothing about the scoreline.
Scotland 0 - 1 Morocco
(Saibari 2')
Morocco held on for a narrow 1-0 win over Scotland as they went to four points in Group C. Ismael Saibari opened the scoring for Morocco before Scotland had properly settled in, hammering in a lovely Brahim Diaz through ball into the roof of the net with the clock at 1:10. This was the fastest goal of this World Cup so far.
After that, though, neither side came too close to troubling the scorers as Scotland pushed hard for the equaliser in the second half, creating plenty of half-chances. A tiring Morocco side, though, did well to hold on for all three points.
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USA 2 - 0 Australia
(Burgess (OG) 11', Freeman 43')
A power-packed first half performance from co-hosts USA saw them beat Australia 2-0 and confirm their progress into the knockouts. They are the second team to do so after fellow co-hosts Mexico.
The US started brilliantly, and Folarin Balogun was the heart of all that was good about their attack yet again. In the 11th minute, he ripped down the left flank and whipped in a low cross that seemed destined to reach Ricardo Pepi for a tap-in before Cameron Burgess intercepted and shanked a mishit of a clearance into his own net. The pace and alacrity of the US attack seemed to overwhelm Australia, who had surprisingly benched Nestory Irankunda and therefore lacked an outlet to release the pressure.
Alex Freeman made it two when he was most alive to a rebound of a hit by Sergino Dest after a well-worked short corner. At the half time break, Irankunda along with opening day scorer Connor Mercalfe were brought on and that changed the tide. The second half saw Australia attack with far more vigour and the US had to survive several attacks to keep their clean sheet. In the end, they did, and that sealed top spot in Group B and with it, progress to the knockout stages.