Miguel Almiron created his own bit of World Cup history on Saturday, becoming the first player to be shown a red card for covering his mouth while talking to an opposing player.
The incident took place in the third minute of added time at the end of the first half of Paraguay's Group D match against Turkey at the San Francisco Bay Arena Stadium.
Former Newcastle United midfielder Almiron exchanged words with Turkey defender Mert Mulder, covering his mouth with his hand as he did so.
Mulder immediately appealed to the linesman closest to the incident, and then ran to referee Ivan Barton, insisting that he punish Almiron.
After reviewing footage on the pitchside monitor, Barton then brandished Almiron with a red card, giving him instant World Cup infamy.
Under Fifa's new rules, any player covering their mouth in a "confrontational situation with an opponent may be sanctioned with a red card".
The rule was put in place in an attempt to stem racist comments being directed by one player to another with the offending player covering his mouth so as not to get caught.
It was part of a raft of measures introduced by Fifa for this World Cup, including changes to time-wasting and new measures for VAR.
Paraguay were already ahead in the match through Matias Glarza's second-minute goal, which proved enough to bag all three points. Defeat means Turkey are out of the World Cup, regardless of how they perform in their final group game against the US.
Almiron, who entered the match with disciplinary concerns following a booking in Paraguay's opening match, will now miss their final Group D match, against Australia in Santa Clara, California, next Thursday.
Australia will be looking for a win after falling to the United States 2-0 earlier Friday. With the two wins, the US have already booked a spot in the Round of 32.
Should Paraguay beat or draw with Turkey in their final match, the US will clinch the group before playing Turkey next Thursday.
Almiron, 32, is in the second season of his second stint with MLS team Atlanta United. He scored six goals in 31 matches last season but has yet to score in eight matches in 2026. He previously played for Atlanta before spending seven seasons with English Premier League club Newcastle United from 2018 to 2025.
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