MANILA — Stephen Eustáquio struck in dramatic fashion deep into stoppage time as Canada clinched a historic 1-0 victory over South Africa, booking its place in the FIFA World Cup Round of 16 and securing the country’s first-ever knockout-stage win on Sunday (Monday in the Philippines) at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California.
With extra time looming, Eustáquio unleashed a thunderous first-time volley from outside the penalty area in the second minute of added time that beat South African goalkeeper Ronwen Williams, sending the co-host nation into celebration and extending its dream World Cup campaign.
Canada will face either the Netherlands or Morocco in the Round of 16 on July 4 in Houston.
Following the final whistle, Canada head coach Jesse Marsch hailed the achievement of his players.
“You guys are Canadian heroes! Canadian heroes!” Marsch told his squad.
Canada dominated possession and generated numerous scoring opportunities throughout the match, but Williams repeatedly denied the hosts with five crucial saves to keep South Africa in contention.
The decisive moment came when Alistair Johnston’s cross into the penalty area was only partially cleared by the South African defense, allowing Eustáquio to pounce on the loose ball and hammer a superb volley into the bottom corner.
Canada also received a major boost with the return of star defender Alphonso Davies in the 75th minute after the Bayern Munich fullback missed the entire group stage due to a hamstring injury. Davies nearly made an immediate impact by threading a precise pass to Promise David, whose shot drifted wide.
South Africa, which reached the knockout phase for the first time after a landmark 1-0 victory over South Korea in the group stage, fought resiliently and threatened on the counterattack but failed to break through before suffering a heartbreaking exit on Eustáquio’s late winner./PN
