Canada advances to last 16 after dramatic 1-0 win against South Africa in Los Angeles
Greg Beacham
Inglewood, California: Stephen Eustaquio scored in the second minute of second-half stoppage time as Canada beat South Africa 1-0 on Sunday (Monday, AEST) to claim their first knockout victory at the World Cup.
The tense match at SoFi Stadium appeared to be heading towards extra time until Eustaquio, who plays for nearby Los Angeles FC, fired a stunning volley from outside the penalty area into Ronwen Williams’ goal.
Host Canada showed strong defensive play in the final minutes of the tournament’s 32-game first round. Coach Jesse Marsch’s team advances to face either the Netherlands or Morocco in Houston on Saturday, July 4.
Gathering his players together after the whistle, Marsch made an enthusiastic speech and said: “You are Canadian heroes! Canadian heroes for the future children of this country who play this sport. This sport has a great future thanks to you. You should be very proud of who you are. You should be very proud of this game.”
Canada played its first three games at home in Toronto and Vancouver, making only its third World Cup appearance, but had to become the first World Cup host nation to play away after losing 2-1 to Switzerland last Wednesday.
The Canadiens were still the clear crowd favorites in the Los Angeles area, with traveling fans and thousands of supportive locals, including several wearing Eustaquio’s LAFC jersey.
“We never stopped believing,” Eustaquio said. “And I think that goal is something we really deserved.”
Williams made five saves for South Africa, who played with remarkable heart until the final moments in their quest for another historic win for the team known as Bafana Bafana. Canada had the best chances all day, but underdogs South Africa held firm and created a handful of excellent chances of their own.
South Africa coach Hugo Broos said: “We lost the match due to our team’s lack of strength and speed compared to our opponent.”
“Of course it was a difficult game. But looking back we can be quite happy with what we did. We were disappointed and we wanted to win, but we don’t need to be too disappointed. What we did was good and I’m very happy and proud of my team.”
Canada finally went on the offensive when Alistair Johnston’s long pass into the box headed straight into the path of Eustaquio, who chested the ball down, struck it full and began celebrating almost immediately.
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