Stephen Eustaquio scored a stoppage-time winner as Canada knocked South Africa out of the World Cup in the round of 32, but he cut an emotional figure after the game23:56, 28 Jun 2026Updated 00:04, 29 Jun 2026Stephen Eustaquio was in tears after scoring the goal that booked Canada’s place in the last-16 of the World Cup. Eustaquio’s stoppage-time strike sealed the co-hosts a 1-0 victory against South Africa and set up a last-16 tie against Morocco or the Netherlands in Houston on July 4.In a game that had lacked real quality, the 29-year-old lashed home from the edge of the box in the second minute of added time at the Los Angeles Stadium. And speaking after the game, Eustaquio had tears in his eyes as he remembered his parents after his mum passed away in 2023 following a battle against brain cancer, and his dad died a year later following a heart attack."Everything I do is for my family, for my parents, for my girlfriend, for my daughter," a clearly emotional Eustaquio said. "For my friends back home. For everyone."Reflecting on the win, the midfielder said: "I think we worked a lot to get this victory. We really wanted to give this win to all of the Canadians. We just kept believing, kept pushing and I couldn't have imagined it any other way."I think it was an amazing goal but when I shot, I felt everyone shot with me. They put a little bit of power on it and it went into the back of the net. So I am very happy.JOIN US ON FACEBOOK! Latest news, analysis and much more on Mirror Football's Facebook pageBefore he added on his side’s belief: "It started when we came out of the group stage. I think when it comes to the knockouts of the World Cup, the belief brings a big part to it."Now, we're going to get Morocco or the Netherlands and who knows, on a good day we can make things happen. Probably the quality is not going to be there, but if we keep believing and keep working, things might go our way."While Canada head coach Jesse Marsch said: "We knew the game would get a little wild sometimes because they like to play in open spaces and sometimes, in transition, they can be very difficult to deal with."We tried to make sure that we kept our structure and we tried to say we keep ramping up the level of the game and come from the bench and get stronger and see if we could punish them at some point. We had chances in the whole game, but we weren't lethal enough."Then it fell to Steph and I'm just hoping he puts it on frame and gives us a chance. He buries it. I can't help but think of all the hard work from these guys."The character. They are Canadian heroes, that's what I told them at the end. They are now Canadian heroes. I am so happy for them."Get the latest World Cup news straight to your inbox by signing up to our Make Football Great Again newsletter now!Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.Article continues belowContent cannot be displayed without consent
World Cup star in tears during emotional interview after losing his parents
Stephen Eustaquio scored a stoppage-time winner as Canada knocked South Africa out of the World Cup in the round of 32, but he cut an emotional figure after the game
❌ **Articolo fuori scope editoriale** Questo è un articolo sportivo (Coppa del Mondo calcio, emotività personale di un giocatore). Non rientra in Warptech Tech News — non contiene insight per manager IT su AI, tech, governance, trend di mercato, decisioni di stack/budget. Verificare se l'URL/contenuto è corretto. Se intendi comunque processarlo come feature story umana, serve una brief strategy diversa (non "impatto tech").










