Canada’s hero Stephen Eustaquio said he “felt like everyone was shooting with me” after his historic 1-0 goal sent Canada through to the World Cup. He attributed the victory over South Africa to the belief of the squad and the entire nation.
Eustaquio’s 92nd-minute half-volley decided the first knockout match of the 2026 World Cup. Canada – who played in Los Angeles after failing to win the group – are thus ready for the last eight.
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Canada created enough chances to win their first-ever knockout match by a much larger margin, but it took a very special finish from Eustaquio to beat the impressive South Africa goalkeeper Ronwen Williams. The goal will immediately go down in history as the most famous in Canadian football.
It was an emotional moment for Eustaquio, who lost his father in 2024 – one year after his mother died. He attributed the victory to Jesse Marsch’s team’s will.
“We worked very hard to get this win,” Eustaquio said.
“We really wanted to give this victory to all Canadians. We kept believing, kept pushing – and I couldn’t have imagined it any other way.
“It was a fantastic goal, but when I shot, I felt that everyone was shooting with me. They put a little extra power in the ball, and it went into the goal. So I’m very happy.
Eustaquio hopes Canada can surprise in the round of eight
Canada will face the Netherlands or Morocco in the round of eight next Saturday. Eustaquio acknowledges that Canada is the underdogs, but hopes that faith can once again make the difference.
“The belief started when we got out of the group stage. In the knockout phase of the World Cup, I think belief means a lot,” he added.
“Now we face Morocco or the Netherlands, and who knows – on a good day we can achieve something. The quality may not be quite there, but if we keep believing and working, things can go our way.
South Africa’s manager awaits decision on his future
South Africa coach Hugo Broos did not want to say whether he will retire after the World Cup exit. Despite South Africa being under pressure for much of the match, the 74-year-old insisted that the loss does not detract from his performance in reaching the last eight.
“We will make the decision in the next few days,” Broos said.
“But it’s been a nice World Cup. It will not be an easy decision. I can’t say now if I’ll quit or continue.
“I’m just as proud as I was two or three days ago. We had a good World Cup, but today, when we face a team with such power and speed, we are lagging behind. That’s something we have to learn. That’s why it was important that we were here.
When asked if this is the start of regular World Cup participations for South Africa, he replied:
“For us, it’s definitely something we have to do. Over the next few months, I am sure that this team will be stronger than before, because today we faced a team that is a little further ahead than us. We played a pretty good game – we could have done more.
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