06/28/26 06:28:00
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06/28 18:27 CDT Canada beats South Africa 1-0 in World Cup's first knockout
match on Stephen Eustquio's late goal
Canada beats South Africa 1-0 in World Cup's first knockout match on Stephen
Eustquio's late goal
By GREG BEACHAM
AP Sports Writer
INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP) --- Right after Canada finished its first knockout match
victory in a World Cup, coach Jesse Marsch huddled his players on the grass of
a stadium still in pandemonium and spoke from his heart --- shouted, actually.
"You guys are Canadian heroes today!" Marsch declared. "Canadian heroes for the
future children of this country who play this sport. The sport has a big future
because of you guys. You should be so proud of who you are. You should be so
proud of this game. You never lost belief. You went after it, point after
point, moment after moment. You are Canadian heroes!"
Stephen Eustquio's dramatic late goal had inspired Marsch to Ted Lasso levels
of earnestness, and he didn't care who knew it.
Soccer has never been the main event on Canada's busy sports calendar, and Les
Rouges are playing in only their third World Cup this summer. But Marsch
realized this landmark 1-0 win over South Africa on Sunday is the type of
achievement that can seize an entire nation's attention for a generation.
"We could have made life a little easier on ourselves if we would have made a
play earlier when we had some big chances," Marsch said. "But obviously the
timing of the goal means that the win is incredibly dramatic, and I think the
effect that it will have in Canada, and the inspiring of people, will be
immense."
After 90-plus minutes of frustration and failure to break down cagey South
Africa at SoFi Stadium, Canada made history in an instant when Alistair
Johnston's long pass into the box was cleared directly into the path of
Eustquio.
The midfielder who plays professionally at nearby Los Angeles FC coolly chested
it down and blasted it off the bounce into the bottom corner of Ronwen
Williams' net before sprinting away to celebrate with Canada's bench in the
second minute of second-half stoppage time.
"We worked for it," Eustquio said. "We have a special group. We feel like we
are brothers. When we fight for each other, when we play for each other,
special things like this can happen. I am over the moon, but at the same time I
don't want to say that the job is finished."
Canada, which sits 30th in the most recent FIFA world rankings, advanced to
face the Netherlands or Morocco in Houston on Saturday.
After playing its first three group matches in Toronto and Vancouver, Canada
missed the chance to also make this bit of history at home when it lost 2-1 to
Switzerland last Wednesday and got sent on the road for the knockout rounds.
But Marsch's plucky team responded by winning this tournament's first round of
32 match and reaching the round of 16 for the first time in its three trips to
the World Cup.
The Canadians were still the clear crowd favorite in the Los Angeles area
between their traveling fans and thousands of supportive locals, including
several in Eustquio's LAFC shirt who couldn't have imagined the day they were
about to enjoy.
"We never stopped believing," Eustquio said. "And I think the goal is really
something that we deserved."
After finishing second in their respective groups, both South Africa and Canada
were playing for their nations' first knockout victories at a World Cup when
they opened knockout play with the only match of the day.
Canada got a boost in the 75th minute when star defender Alphonso Davies came
on for his first World Cup action. The playmaking Bayern Munich defender missed
group play after injuring his hamstring last month for the third time this
year, but finally returned in the same stadium where he tore a knee ligament in
March 2025 in CONCACAF Nations League play.
Davies immediately made the best pass of the day to set up Promise David for a
golden chance, but the forward hit it wide. The game then bogged down again ---
but Eustquio made sure Canada avoided extra time.
"Steph is one of the people in the team that I think is the most reliable and
understands what we're trying to achieve as a group, and understands how to
manage moments in games, and to be a leader, a true leader," Marsch said. "It
was good to see him, in that moment, just being in the moment and thinking
about the best way to strike the ball in the way to give it the best chance to
go in. Really composed and really well-executed."
Williams made five saves for South Africa, which played with remarkable heart
while hanging in until the final moments in search of another historic win for
the team known as Bafana Bafana. South Africa stayed firm defensively and
created a handful of tantalizing chances despite getting only one shot on goal
to close a tournament in which it scored two goals in four matches.
"We lost the game because there was a lack of power and speed in our team when
I compare that with our opponent," South Africa coach Hugo Broos said. "We had
a difficult game, certainly. But when we look back, we can be fairly satisfied
with what we did."
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