Canada beats South Africa 1-0 in
World Cup's first knockout match on Stephen Eustáquio's late goal
[June 29, 2026]
By GREG BEACHAM
INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP) — Right after Canada finished its first
knockout match victory in a World Cup, coach Jesse Marsch huddled
his players on the grass of a stadium still in pandemonium and spoke
from his heart — shouted, actually.
“You guys are Canadian heroes today!" Marsch declared. "Canadian
heroes for the future children of this country who play this sport.
The 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!”
Stephen Eustáquio's dramatic late goal had inspired Marsch to Ted
Lasso levels of earnestness, and he didn't care who knew it.
Soccer has never been the main event on Canada's busy sports
calendar, and Les Rouges are playing in only their third World Cup
this summer. But Marsch realized this landmark 1-0 win over South
Africa on Sunday is the type of achievement that can seize an entire
nation's attention for a generation.
“We could have made life a little easier on ourselves if we would
have made a play earlier when we had some big chances,” Marsch said.
“But obviously the timing of the goal means that the win is
incredibly dramatic, and I think the effect that it will have in
Canada, and the inspiring of people, will be immense.”
After 90-plus minutes of frustration and failure to break down cagey
South Africa at SoFi Stadium, Canada made history in an instant when
Alistair Johnston’s long pass into the box was cleared directly into
the path of Eustáquio.
The midfielder who plays professionally at nearby Los Angeles FC
coolly chested it down and blasted it off the bounce into the bottom
corner of Ronwen Williams' net before sprinting away to celebrate
with Canada's bench in the second minute of second-half stoppage
time.
“We worked for it," Eustáquio said. “We have a special group. We
feel like we are brothers. When we fight for each other, when we
play for each other, special things like this can happen. I am over
the moon, but at the same time I don’t want to say that the job is
finished.”
Canada, which sits 30th in the most recent FIFA world rankings,
advanced to face the Netherlands or Morocco in Houston on Saturday.
After playing its first three group matches in Toronto and
Vancouver, Canada missed the chance to also make this bit of history
at home when it lost 2-1 to Switzerland last Wednesday and got sent
on the road for the knockout rounds. But Marsch's plucky team
responded by winning this tournament's first round of 32 match and
reaching the round of 16 for the first time in its three trips to
the World Cup.
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Canada's Stephen Eustaquio (7) scores their opening goal past South
Africa goalkeeper Ronwen Williams (1) during the World Cup round of
32 soccer match between South Africa and Canada in Inglewood,
Calif., near Los Angeles, Sunday, June 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Mark J.
Terrill)
The Canadians were still the clear crowd favorite
in the Los Angeles area between their traveling fans and thousands
of supportive locals, including several in Eustáquio’s LAFC shirt
who couldn't have imagined the day they were about to enjoy.
“We never stopped believing," Eustáquio said. "And I think the goal
is really something that we deserved.”
After finishing second in their respective groups, both South Africa
and Canada were playing for their nations’ first knockout victories
at a World Cup when they opened knockout play with the only match of
the day.
Canada got a boost in the 75th minute when star defender Alphonso
Davies came on for his first World Cup action. The playmaking Bayern
Munich defender missed group play after injuring his hamstring last
month for the third time this year, but finally returned in the same
stadium where he tore a knee ligament in March 2025 in CONCACAF
Nations League play.
Davies immediately made the best pass of the day to set up Promise
David for a golden chance, but the forward hit it wide. The game
then bogged down again — but Eustáquio made sure Canada avoided
extra time.
“Steph is one of the people in the team that I think is the most
reliable and understands what we’re trying to achieve as a group,
and understands how to manage moments in games, and to be a leader,
a true leader,” Marsch said. “It was good to see him, in that
moment, just being in the moment and thinking about the best way to
strike the ball in the way to give it the best chance to go in.
Really composed and really well-executed.”
Williams made five saves for South Africa, which played with
remarkable heart while hanging in until the final moments in search
of another historic win for the team known as Bafana Bafana. South
Africa stayed firm defensively and created a handful of tantalizing
chances despite getting only one shot on goal to close a tournament
in which it scored two goals in four matches.
“We lost the game because there was a lack of power and speed in our
team when I compare that with our opponent,” South Africa coach Hugo
Broos said. “We had a difficult game, certainly. But when we look
back, we can be fairly satisfied with what we did.”
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