Eustaquio’s late winner sends Canada into the World Cup last 16

Canada needed almost the entire 90 minutes and then some, but they got there. Stephen Eustaquio drilled home in the second minute of stoppage time to settle a tense round-of-32 tie 1-0 against South Africa at SoFi Stadium, sending the co-hosts into the World Cup last 16 for the first time in their history. A match that looked bound for extra time turned on a single swing of Eustaquio’s boot, and Canada’s run at this tournament now stretches into territory the country has never reached.

A goal worth waiting for

The winner arrived in the 92nd minute and it was worth the wait. Jacob Shaffelburg whipped a cross into the box, a South Africa defender could only head it clear as far as the edge of the area, and the ball dropped to Eustaquio. His half-volley flew low into the bottom corner, beyond Ronwen Williams and away from the goalkeeper’s despairing dive. There was a neat symmetry to it. Eustaquio plays his club football for Los Angeles FC a few miles from SoFi, and he picked the perfect stage to score the most important goal of Canada’s tournament.

He barely needed to check whether it had gone in. The midfielder wheeled away in celebration almost before the ball had settled, and a Canadian side that had pushed and probed all night finally had the breakthrough it deserved.

Marsch’s side make history

Jesse Marsch came into the knockouts carrying a group stage that had already rewritten Canada’s record books, headlined by a 6-0 demolition of Qatar that delivered the country’s first World Cup win of any kind. The reward for finishing second in their group was a meeting with a South Africa side equally unused to this stage. Canada carried the better of the chances across the 90 minutes without finding a way past Williams, who kept his side level with a string of important interventions.

The night also brought a long-awaited return. Alphonso Davies came off the bench in the 75th minute for his first appearance of the tournament, having missed the group games as he recovered from a hamstring injury. The left-back made an immediate impact, threading the best pass of the match to send Promise David clear, only for the striker to drag his finish wide. Canada did not have to rue that miss for long.

South Africa’s run ends with their heads high

For Hugo Broos and South Africa, this is a painful way to bow out of a tournament that had already given them plenty. Bafana Bafana reached the knockout phase of a World Cup for the first time, getting there with a 1-0 win over South Korea in their final group game. They defended stoutly for long spells against Canada and looked like they might drag the tie into extra time before Eustaquio intervened. Williams, in particular, leaves with plenty of credit for how long he kept his side in it.

There was no late equaliser to be found. Canada saw out the closing seconds with the kind of composure that has marked their campaign, and the final whistle confirmed a first knockout victory at a men’s World Cup for a nation whose maiden win at the tournament had come only ten days earlier against Qatar.

Houston awaits

The reward is a round-of-16 tie in Houston on Saturday, July 4, against the winner of the Netherlands and Morocco. Whoever emerges from that tie will be a sharp step up in quality, and Canada will likely need Davies closer to full sharpness to go further. For one night in Los Angeles, though, none of that mattered. A team that arrived at this World Cup chasing a first knockout appearance is now into the last 16, and it found the moment when it needed it most.

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