Eustáquio nets winner, Canada advances to round of 16 with 1-0 win over South Africa

Canada is through to the next stage of the FIFA World Cup after beating South Africa 1-0 in Los Angeles on Sunday. 

Stephen Eustaquio scored in the second minute of injury time to vault the Canadians through to the round of 16. 

The team got a boost in the 75th minute when captain Alphonso Davies came on for Tajon Buchanan, marking the first time the Bayern Munich star has played in the tournament. 

Canada will now face the winner of a round-of-32 matchup between the Netherlands and Morocco in Houston on July 4.

Les Rouges earned their first-ever point in a 1-1 draw with Bosnia-Herzegovina, their first win with a 6-0 drubbing of Qatar and advancing to the knockout run for the first time, despite falling 2-1 to Switzerland in their group-stage finale. 

Canada came into the tournament sitting at No. 30 in FIFA’s rankings while South Africa was No. 60.

Canada’s head coach Jesse Marsch tweaked his starting lineup for the game, bringing defender Moïse Bombito in for his first start of the tournament. Midfielder and vice-captain Eustaquio was also back in the starting 11 after coming in as a substitute against Switzerland, while striker Cyle Larin and defender Luc de Fougerolles were relegated to the bench.

“You guys are showing your character, you guys are Canadian heroes. Canadian heroes for the future children of this country. We play this sport, this 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.” – Head coach Jesse Marsch speaking to the team following the win over South Africa.

Thousands of Canadian fans were among the announced crowd of 69,237, wearing red, waving Canadian flags and cheering for the co-host nation. 

South Africa got the first opportunity of the game, with Maxime Crépeau diving to stop an attempt from Teboho Mokoena six minutes in.

The two sides battled through the midfield, with neither getting much traction through much of the first 20 minutes. 

Canada had a chance in the 22nd minute when Eustaquio floated a free kick into the penalty area. Derek Cornelius got a head on the ball but didn’t give the shot enough power and Bafana Bafana goalkeeper Ronwen Williams made an easy stop.

The Canadians gained momentum, though, and 13 minutes later, Tani Oluwaseyi came within inches of opening the scoring with a solid attempt from the top corner of the six-yard box. Williams got his hands up just in time to turn the ball away. 

Red-clad fans in the stand jumped to their feat in the 44th minute when Canada got multiple chances off of a corner. 

Eustaquio sent the ball into Bombito, who headed it down, only to see Aubry Modiba boot it off the goal line. The rebound popped out to Cornelius and the defender tried an unsuccessful header, but saw his teammate Tajon Buchanan get a chance of his own. Buchanan’s shot from in tight hit Williams, keeping the score knotted at 0-0. 

Fans objected loudly in the 45th minute when Canada’s Richie Laryea was hauled down inside the penalty area without sanction. 

The decision appeared to draw ire of several Canadian players and Marsch, who all headed in the direction of referee Joao Pedro Silva Pinheiro when he blew the halftime whistle. 

Bombito held Marsch back, while Davies pulled striker Jonathan David away. 

The coach made a pair of changes in the 59th minute, replacing Bombito with de Fougerolles and taking Nathan Saliba out for Niko Sigur.

Sigur proved impactful six minutes later, picking off a ball midfield and chipping it up to Oluwaseyi. The striker blasted a shot on target but the ball pinged off Williams’ outstretched leg.

Canada got a boost in the 75th minute when Davies came on for Tajon Buchanan, marking first time the Bayern Munich standout has played in this summer’s tournament. 

Davies picked up a hamstring injury in early May while playing in a Champions League semifinal, and has been working his way back ever since. 

South Africa came close in the 85th minute when Oswin Appollis blasted a long-range rocket from the top of the penalty area, but Crépeau dove and made a top at the post. 

Eustaquio finally broke the deadlock in the second minute of stoppage time and ran up the field, his hands in the air before getting mobbed by his teammates by the Canadian bench. 

The Los Angeles FC midfielder chested down a ball from Jacob Shaffelburg at the top of the area and sent a right-footed shot swinging into the bottom of the net to put his side up 1-0. 

The Canadian fans started singing “Ole!” as the final minutes of stoppage time ticked down and neutral fans headed toward the exits. 

As the final whistle went, the Canadians darted out onto the field, hugging one another in celebration.