Canada enter round of 16 with Eustaquio’s goal, S Africa head home

The first-ever round of 32 in the FIFA World Cup tournament started with a bang, as an injury-time winner sent co-hosts Canada into the round of 16 for the first time, while South Africa became the first victim of the knockout rounds. In a tightly contested game, Canada simply showed that they wanted the win more. They were knocking on the door for a majority of their game, coming agonisingly close at times, so when Stephen Eustaquio unleashed a rocket from just outside of the box in the 90 + 2’ minute, the floodgates finally burst open, and the Les Rouges marched on. 

After finishing second in their group, Canada were unlucky to be the only host nation to not be able to play their first knockout game on home soil. But if you looked at the crowd at the Inglewood Stadium in Los Angeles today, it was a sea of red as the Canadian fans had come out in full strength to support their team. Both teams were playing their first-ever World Cup knockout game so even before kick-off, the scene was set for a historical moment for either nation.

From the opening whistle, it was South Africa who dominated the possession, but as we’ve seen quite often in this World Cup, it doesn’t matter if you keep the ball if you can’t progress it in the final third. That was the big difference between the two teams today. Canada took advantage of each possession they got and attacked with real intent. They were the only team that seemed to actively look to break the deadlock, while South Africa seemed to come into the game with a focus on not conceding a goal. Unfortunately, you just can’t be passive like that in the knockout stages. Even if you defend well for the majority of the game, all it takes is one mistake to put you on the backfoot, and South Africa learnt that lesson in a heartbreaking fashion today. 

Much like in their previous game against South Korea, Hugo Broos’ men were defensively excellent today. Time and again, they foiled the Canadian attack. Whether it was the central pairing of Mbekelezi Mbokazi and Ime Okon or the fullbacks Modiba and Mudau, it seemed that every time Canada were inches away from scoring, they were there to shut it down. However, going forward, it was just one mistake after the other. They lacked any creativity, constantly misplacing passes, or took too heavy a touch, and the Canadian goal was largely quiet today. It just seemed that South Africa were treating the game like another group stage match as it almost seemed like they were playing for a draw. Keeping the ball is an important part of a football match, but it’s just the first step on which you have to build your attack, and South Africa just couldn’t get into second gear. 

On the other hand, Canada more than made up for their opponent’s passivity by making the most of each possession. They were probing and causing problems throughout the 90 minutes, taking 14 shots (7 on target) compared to South Africa’s 6 and 2. They also did it with significantly less possession of the ball. Credit has to be given to Jesse Marsch, who did a great job using his substitutes to maintain the high tempo of their attack throughout the game. In particular the substitution of one Alphonso Davies in the 74th minute caused a huge uproar in the stadium. Davies, the star player for Les Rouges, had been out with an injury that he sustained in May and hadn’t been able to suit up for the national team on home soil. Although he didn’t make a direct contribution to the goal, his return seemed to reignite the Canadian offence as South Africa were forced to put two men on Davies, creating more space for the other forwards. 

Just when it seemed that the first knockout game would go to extra-time, Stephen Eustaquio reminded everyone that the World Cup is a stage for big moments. A probing cross into the box from winger Jacob Shaffelburg could not find a red shirt in the midst of the yellow wall, but it was poorly headed away by defender Okon right into Eustaquio’s path. With plenty of space in front of him, he took one touch to control the ball, and with his second touch unleashed a rocket into the bottom left corner of the net. South African goalkeeper Ronwen Williams, who had been excellent till that point, could do nothing to stop that shot and the stadium erupted. Regardless of how far Canada goes in this tournament, that goal will go down as one of the most important moments in their footballing history. In just their third ever World Cup, Canada, a relative newcomer to the footballing scene, won their first ever knockout game and Eustaquio will surely go down as a cult hero for this moment. 

It was a heartbreaking moment for South Africa, who had been so good defensively for the majority of the game. But in the World Cup, all it takes is one mistake and Canada didn’t waste that chance. Bafana Bafana are officially eliminated, while the Canadians will face the winners of the game between Netherlands and Morocco in Houston on July 4. Whoever wins that game will be a tough match-up for Canada, but maybe the co-hosts can produce another moment of magic to continue this historic run.