Los Angeles (United States) (AFP) – Captain Stephen Eustaquio scored a dramatic injury-time winner as co-hosts Canada beat South Africa 1-0 on Sunday to reach the last 16 of the World Cup, as the knockout stages began at the tournament in North America.
Issued on: 29/06/2026 - 00:01
4 min Reading time
With both sides making their first-ever appearance beyond the group stage of a World Cup, a tense last-32 tie appeared to be heading for extra time, before Eustaquio broke South African hearts with a clinical hit from just outside the area in the 92nd minute at the SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles.The Porto midfielder -- on loan at Los Angeles FC -- controlled the ball on his chest and then unleashed a shot that beat South African goalkeeper Ronwen Williams and found the bottom corner.That settled a contest of few clear chances, and Canada's bench streamed onto the pitch as the stadium erupted, celebrating a historic victory."We are excited that we're still playing, relieved that we managed to get over the line. It was a difficult match, we knew it was going to be," said Canada's Alistair Johnston."It's still a pinch-me moment, honestly, we just won a knockout-round match at a World Cup."Canada were appearing in the knockout stages for the very first time, but their joy at achieving that feat was tempered by the fact they finished second in their group behind Switzerland.That meant they had to head to the United States for this match rather than stay in Vancouver, and they will now travel to Houston for a last-16 tie on Saturday against either the Netherlands or Morocco, who meet on Monday.Brazil to face Japan
