The The United States became one of the first teams to secure a place in the FIFA World Cup knockout stages after a 2-0 victory over Australia, while Brazil, Morocco and Paraguay also collected important wins on another busy day of group-stage action.United States became one of the first teams to secure a place in the FIFA World Cup knockout stages after a 2-0 victory over Australia, while Brazil, Morocco and Paraguay also collected important wins on another busy day of group-stage action.

USA booked their place in the round of 32 with a controlled performance against Australia in Seattle. Mauricio Pochettino’s side followed up their opening victory over Paraguay with another three points to move to the top of Group D on six points.

The breakthrough came after 11 minutes when Folarin Balogun’s low cross was turned into his own net by Australian defender Cameron Burgess. The USA continued to control possession and create chances, limiting Australia’s opportunities throughout the match.

Their second goal arrived after the break from a set-piece situation. Alex Freeman headed home after Sergino Dest’s effort was redirected into his path. Although the assistant referee initially raised the offside flag, a VAR review confirmed the goal should stand.

Australia attempted to change the flow of the game with three substitutions at half-time, but they struggled to test goalkeeper Matt Freese. The result guarantees the USA a place in the knockout phase and leaves them well positioned to finish top of the group. Australia will now face Paraguay in their final group match, while the USA take on Turkey.

Earlier in Group D, Paraguay kept their qualification hopes alive with a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Turkey in San Francisco.

The South Americans made an ideal start when Matias Galarza found the net after just 65 seconds, scoring the fastest goal of the tournament so far. His long-range strike proved enough to separate the sides at full-time.

Turkey responded positively and created a number of opportunities throughout the contest. Orlando Gill produced several important saves, while Mert Muldur saw an effort strike both the crossbar and the post. Despite registering numerous attempts on goal, Turkey were unable to find a breakthrough for the second consecutive match.

Paraguay’s task became more difficult shortly before half-time when Miguel Almiron was shown a red card following a VAR review. The midfielder was penalised under a recently introduced IFAB regulation after an incident involving Turkey defender Muldur.

Playing the entire second half with ten men, Paraguay defended effectively and restricted Turkey to limited clear-cut chances. The result eliminated Turkey from the competition following successive defeats and left Paraguay with everything to play for heading into their final group fixture against Australia.

In Group C, Brazil recorded their first victory of the tournament with a comfortable 3-0 win over Haiti in Philadelphia.

Head coach Carlo Ancelotti made changes following the draw against Morocco, and one of those decisions paid immediate dividends as Matheus Cunha scored twice in the first half.

The Manchester United forward opened the scoring in the 23rd minute when he reacted quickest to convert a rebound after Vinicius Junior’s initial effort had been saved. Cunha doubled Brazil’s lead later in the half with an excellent finish from a difficult angle, striking the ball powerfully into the roof of the net.

Brazil added a third goal in first-half stoppage time. Vinicius Junior, who had been heavily involved throughout the opening period, finished calmly to score his second goal of the tournament.

The only concern for Brazil came when Raphinha was forced off with what appeared to be a hamstring injury before the interval. Rayan replaced the Barcelona winger, while Endrick made his World Cup debut during the second half and had a goal ruled out for offside.

Brazil controlled proceedings after the break and comfortably saw out the result.

The victory moves them to the top of Group C ahead of their final group match against Scotland. Haiti, meanwhile, became the first team in the group to be eliminated after suffering a second consecutive defeat.

Scotland’s hopes of reaching the knockout stage suffered a setback as they lost 1-0 to Morocco in Boston.

Steve Clarke’s side knew a win would guarantee qualification, but they fell behind almost immediately. After only 70 seconds, Grant Hanley was caught in possession and Ismael Saibari took advantage, producing a precise finish into the top corner.

Morocco nearly extended their lead during a difficult opening period for Scotland, who struggled to settle into the match and did not register their first attempt on goal until late in the first half.

Scotland felt they should have been awarded a penalty shortly after the restart when John McGinn went down under a challenge from Neil El Aynaoui, but the referee waved away the appeals.

Their best opportunity arrived just after the hour mark when Scott McTominay created space for Ryan Christie, only for the midfielder to fire over the crossbar from a promising position.

There was further frustration for Scotland later in the second half when McTominay also appealed for a penalty following another challenge involving El Aynaoui. Once again, play was allowed to continue.

Despite late efforts from McTominay and Lyndon Dykes, Scotland were unable to find an equaliser and finished the match without a shot on target. The defeat leaves their qualification hopes hanging in the balance ahead of a decisive final group game against Brazil, where they will likely need a positive result to remain in contention for a place in the knockout rounds.