Canada continued their remarkable run at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, booking a historic place in the round of 16 after edging South Africa 1-0 with a dramatic late victory at Los Angeles Stadium on Sunday.
Stephen Eustaquio emerged as Canada’s hero, producing a superb finish in second-half stoppage time to secure the win and send the Reds into the knockout stages, while bringing South Africa’s campaign to an end.
South Africa enjoyed the majority of possession during the opening half, but it was Canada who created the clearer scoring opportunities. Their best chance arrived just before the break when Aubrey Modiba made a crucial goal-line clearance, before Ronwen Williams pulled off another excellent save to keep the Canadians off the scoresheet.
Canada appealed for a penalty shortly after as Richie Laryea went down inside the area following a late challenge from Khuliso Mudau. However, after a VAR review, the referee waved away the appeals, leaving Jesse Marsch’s side frustrated.
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The pattern of the match remained unchanged in the second half as South Africa continued to dominate possession, while Canada threatened more in front of goal. In the 66th minute, Williams produced another outstanding stop to deny Tani Oluwaseyi, before Mbokazi made a vital clearance to prevent Jonathan David from scoring into an empty net.
With the match seemingly destined for extra time, Canada finally found the breakthrough in the 92nd minute. Following a South African clearance, the ball dropped kindly to Eustaquio on the edge of the box. The midfielder brought it down with his chest before firing a precise strike into the bottom corner to seal a dramatic 1-0 victory.
The result sends Canada into the FIFA World Cup round of 16 for the first time in the nation’s history. They will now face either the Netherlands or Morocco in the next round, while South Africa bow out of the tournament.
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