Canada won its first ever knockout game at the men’s World Cup, beating South Africa 1-0 in dramatic circumstances to set up a last-16 tie with the Netherlands or Morocco.The co-hosts had never progressed beyond the group stage before but will now have the chance to go deeper still, after Stephen Eustaquio prompted wild scenes by scoring a stoppage-time winner in this round-of-32 game at SoFi Stadium, near Los Angeles.It is the end of the road for South Africa, which was also competing in its first knockout tie at soccer’s biggest international tournament.Canada now travels to Houston, with Jesse Marsch’s side hoping to upset one of the competition’s stronger teams with a place in the quarter-finals at stake.
World Cup knockout bracket
Did Canada just produce one of the nation’s great sporting moments?This will go down as one of the most celebrated results by any Canadian national team in any sport.They fought, pressed, worked and essentially did everything they had to do to force attempts at South Africa’s goal.Nothing broke through, but this team is built on spirit and togetherness as much as talent, and they finally willed their way to a result that will live in Canadian history forever.This is the kind of game, capped off with a late dramatic goal, that will define men’s soccer in this country.For years, the program was overlooked and written off. But this team on the day battled, just as Canadian soccer players had battled for generations for eyeballs.The eyes of the world are now on them after their effort and pressing paid off. Canada should now consider themselves in a different tier of international soccer.Joshua KlokeDid Davies return at the perfect time for Canada?The long-awaited, eagerly-anticipated return of Alphonso Davies finally arrived in the 75th minute. Davies had not played for Canada since March 2025 and his inability to feature at this World Cup, until now, has been a major theme. Canada’s star player has been managing a hamstring injury sustained while on Bayern Munich duty since May.After declining to give Davies any minutes in the opening two games against Bosnia and Herzegovina and Qatar, Marsch claimed he would appear against Switzerland. “He looks great,” he said. “Let’s see how things go, but I expect him to play.”Davies did not make it off the bench, though, and Canada’s defeat meant he lost the opportunity to play at a home World Cup, with his nation’s path now on U.S. soil.Which countries are the most common birthplaces at the World Cup?Reuben Pinder and Joe CrisalliBut he did finally appear in Los Angeles. Marsch sent Davies on with the score 0-0, and he made an immediate impact. First, he fired a line-breaking pass that led to a chance for Promise David, which he shot just wide.Then Davies slipped a pass through to Jonathan David, whose effort was saved by goalkeeper Ronwen Williams.Davies was not involved in the winning goal in stoppage time, but his impact raised the intensity of Canada’s attacks in the closing stages.Laurie WhitwellWas Canada denied a clear penalty?At the break, Marsch appeared to be held back from approaching the officials by Moise Bombito, after Canada were denied a penalty a minute or so before.Bombito looked to be telling his boss the players couldn’t afford to lose him (presumably to a touchline suspension), while Marsch seemed to say, “I’m fine.”His angst was understandable. Richie Laryea for Canada burst into the box in a good position but was brought to ground amid a tangle of legs with South Africa’s Khuliso Mudau.Canada appealed hard, but referee Joao Pinheiro, of Portugal, was unmoved and VAR Carlos del Cerro Grande, of Spain, did not intervene.Laryea did, in a way, kick Mudau with his stride, but the South African defender had put his leg there in the first place, having not touched the ball.It was similar to Vinicius Junior having his second goal against Scotland disallowed for a foul on Jack Hendry, although in that case the Scotland defender did have possession of the ball first.All of the members of the TSN panel in Canada — Atiba Hutchinson, Julian de Guzman and Kevin Kilbane — felt the Laryea incident was not a penalty but former referee Christina Unkel on ITV in the UK said she would have pointed to the spot.The Athletic’s refereeing expert Graham Scott, a former Premier League official, said he thought a penalty should have been awarded.“The referee’s only defence would be that the attacker initiated the contact,” he said. “But there’s a much stronger case that the defender makes contact first with his knee, which causes everything that follows. So it should have been a penalty on the field.“VARs have largely been keeping away from these, yet Brazil were denied a second goal against Scotland for much less contact. The bar for intervention has been inconsistent to say the least.”Fortunately for Canada, in the end it did not matter.Laurie WhitwellWas South Africa unlucky after defiant defensive display?They gave it their all, but eventually, in added time, a brilliant strike from distance broke their resistance.South Africa dominated possession, patiently building up from the back and then waiting to beat the press at the appropriate moment, though in attack they struggled to create clear opportunities.At the other end, their last line of defence repeatedly repelled Canada. Defenders Mbekezeli Mbokazi and Aubrey Modiba made heroic clearances, the former denying Jonathan David with an open goal gaping in the second half, while goalkeeper Williams made a string of important saves, too.Hugo Broos, the Belgian who has been in charge of South Africa since 2021, had become the oldest manager to coach a team in the knockout stages of the World Cup, aged 74 years and 78 days. He had previously suggested he would retire after the tournament and return to Belgium to be near his family, though in recent days he has indicated his wife may give him permission to continue.Having seen his team exit in deflating circumstances, this may yet prove to be Broos’ final act as a professional coach.Chris WaughHow far can Canada go?On the evidence of this, not massively deep into the tournament, although momentum may well snowball from this stage given all three host countries appear to have been able to raise their levels for this ‘home’ World Cup.Up next for Canada is a trip to Houston, Texas, on Saturday, which just so happens to be Independence Day in the United States, with either the Netherlands or Morocco, who face off in Monterrey, Mexico, on Monday, lying in wait in the round of 16.Whether an additional day’s rest will significantly benefit Marsch’s side remains to be seen, with whoever they take on at the Houston Stadium next weekend likely to head into the match as significant favourites.Beyond that, France or Germany would be expected to reach (and be massive favourites for) the quarter-final, which takes place in Boston on July 9, before Spain, Portugal or Belgium probably lie in wait in the last four.Canada fans will rightly dream about how far they can advance, as that is what being a supporter is all about, but a lot of football has to be played before those showpiece matches.For now, Canada can excitedly prepare for their first-ever last-16 tie, having already made history at this World Cup. Anything from now really would be a bonus.Chris Waugh
