Paraguay manager Gustavo Alfaro said Friday that his side had regained its belief after keeping its World Cup hopes alive with a 1-0 victory over Türkiye.

Paraguay's first win of the tournament left it level on points with Australia in Group D ahead of the teams' final group-stage meeting next Thursday.

"We are going to play our hearts out against Australia," the Argentine told a post-match news conference. "We hope to make history and we hope it will be something beautiful."

"That comes from courage, sacrifice, emotion and a strong sense of belonging."

Paraguay is making its first World Cup finals appearance since 2010, when it reached the quarterfinals in South Africa.

Its current campaign appeared to be in danger after a 4-1 defeat to the United States in its opening match. Alfaro said his squad had spent the past week dealing with the fallout from that loss.

"We went through a very hard week," he said. "It felt like everything was going against us. At the World Cup, you pay the price for that," Alfaro said. "We've hung onto this dream to return to the World Cup after 16 years and it could have been over in seven days. The defeat against the United States was a huge blow to the team, but this group does not fear any opponent and that showed today."

Matias Galarza's second-minute goal proved enough to secure victory at San Francisco Bay Area Stadium, despite Miguel Almiron's red card that forced Paraguay to play the entire second half with 10 men.

Türkiye dominated possession and finished with 32 shots, but was unable to find a way past goalkeeper Orlando Gill as Paraguay defended stubbornly.

Alfaro said the result reflected a mentality that had carried Paraguay through difficult moments long before the World Cup.

"When everyone thinks Paraguay is finished, that is when Paraguay becomes most dangerous," he said.

"In the face of adversity, Paraguay plays its best football. I had nothing to do with this result. The credit belongs entirely to the players. Despite all the difficulties and adversity, they produced a great result."

He added that Australia would be a dangerous opponent despite a 2-0 loss to the United States earlier on Friday.

"We recovered our faith and trust in ourselves," Alfaro said. "That is what the players showed here.

"If this match was difficult, the Australia game will be even harder. We don't yet know which players will be available. We will need pace and we will need to improvise."