Canada is going to the next round of the FIFA World Cup after defeating South Africa 1–0 in extra time at the match in Los Angeles on Sunday with a goal by Stephen Eustáquio.
The teams were locked at 0–0 for the majority of the knockout match on June 28 until Canada’s Eustáquio scored the winning goal in the second minute of stoppage time.
Canada’s next match will take place on July 4 in Houston, Texas, where the team will go up against the winner of the June 29 match between the Netherlands and Morocco.
Following his winning goal in Los Angeles, Eustáquio said he was devoted to his family.
“Everything I do is for my family, for my parents, for my girlfriend, for my daughter, for my brother, for my friends back home, for all of them,” he said.
Eustaquio lost his mother, Esmeralda, to brain cancer in 2023, and lost his father, Armando, to a heart attack in 2024. His daughter was born shortly after his father’s death.
Following the match, Canadian team head coach Jesse Marsch spoke with the team, calling the players “heroes.”
“Think about the two years we’ve been together. Think about how we talked about sticking to the plan, sticking to who we want to be, playing aggressive, accessing your quality. You guys showing your character. You guys are Canadian heroes—Canadian heroes for the future children of this country who play this sport,” he said.
“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.”
Speaking with reporters afterwards, Marsch said he would fly to Guadalupe, Mexico, to watch the Morocco-Netherlands match at Monterrey Stadium.
“We'll make sure our guys get a good regen, and then we’re going to be ready to throw everything at a giant. Maybe it’s the Netherlands, maybe it’s Morocco, but this is what I wanted. I wanted this team to show that they deserve the right to go after a giant, and that’s what we’re going to do,” he said.
Canada was in a good position prior to its winning match against South Africa, with Canada ranked 30 and South Africa ranked 60.
Its next match is set to be more challenging, as both the Netherlands and Morocco are ranked in the top 10.
