Stephen Eustaquio struck deep into stoppage time as co-hosts Canada defeated South Africa 1-0 in the FIFA World Cup Round of 32 in Los Angeles on Sunday to reach the last 16 for the first time in the country’s history.
Canada will next face the winners of the Netherlands and Morocco in Houston on July 4 for a place in the quarter-finals.
After a tightly contested match with few clear chances, Eustaquio broke the deadlock in the 92nd minute. The midfielder collected the ball on the edge of the penalty area following a loose South African clearance before driving a low shot into the bottom-left corner beyond goalkeeper Ronwen Williams.
© instagram.com/bafanabafanaofficial“We just kept believing, we kept pushing and I think we couldn’t have imagined it any other way,” Eustaquio said.
“It was an amazing goal. When I shot it, I felt everybody shot it with me. Everybody put a little bit of power on it, and it went to the back of the net, so I’m very happy.”
South Africa had shown discipline throughout the match and appeared content to force extra time before Canada’s late breakthrough ended their resistance.
The first half offered limited opportunities for either side. Canada’s best chance came shortly before the break when Moise Bombito’s header was cleared off the goal line by Aubrey Modiba before Tajon Buchanan’s follow-up effort was stopped by Williams. Moments later, Richie Laryea went down inside the penalty area, but appeals for a penalty were rejected following a VAR review.
© instagram.com/bafanabafanaofficialCanada continued to dominate possession after the restart without finding a way through. Williams denied Tani Oluwaseyi before Mbekezeli Mbokazi reacted quickly to clear the rebound ahead of Jonathan David.
Captain Alphonso Davies made his first appearance of the tournament after coming off the bench in the 75th minute. The Bayern Munich winger added pace and creativity down the left flank, but it was Eustaquio who eventually settled the contest with his powerful finish from outside the area.
Canada coach Jesse Marsch praised his players for maintaining belief despite their missed opportunities.
“And then it falls to Steph and I just hope he’ll put it on frame and give it a chance and he buries it,” Marsch said.
“The hard work from these guys, the character – they’re Canadian heroes. That’s what I told them at the end. They are now Canadian heroes. I’m so happy for them.”
Marsch said he would travel to Mexico to watch Canada’s potential opponents.
“We’re going to be ready to throw everything we have at a giant,” he said.
© instagram.com/bafanabafanaofficialCanada had entered the knockout stage after advancing beyond the group phase for the first time in three World Cup appearances. The victory also came after only three days’ rest following a 2-1 defeat to Switzerland in their final group match.
South Africa bowed out despite producing their best-ever World Cup campaign by reaching the knockout rounds for the first time.
“Everyone is sad,” midfielder Teboho Mokoena said.
“If I had taken three more steps, I could have stopped that shot.”
The match also marked the end of South Africa coach Hugo Broos’ World Cup career. The 74-year-old Belgian indicated the tournament was likely to be his last on the global stage.
“I will see in the next days what I will do for the future,” Broos said.
“For sure, this is my last World Cup.”
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