South Africa Knocked Out Of 2026 World Cup After Late Goal By Canada

Canada scored a late goal to beat South Africa 1-0 in the last 32 of the 2026 FIFA World Cup at the Los Angeles Stadium.

Stephen Eustaquio scored a dramatic winner in the 92nd minute to send Canada into the last 16 of the tournament.

The round of 32 match was closely fought from start to finish and looked set for extra time before Eustaquio struck in stoppage time to separate the two sides.

It was a historic occasion for both teams, as Canada and South Africa were playing in the men’s World Cup knockout stage for the first time.

Canada created the better chances in the opening half, but Bafana Bafana defended with discipline and determination.

Early in the match, Derek Cornelius had a clear opportunity to score, but his close-range header was comfortably saved by Ronwen Williams.

Just before halftime, Moise Bombito thought he had put Canada ahead with a strong header, only for Aubrey Modiba to produce an outstanding goal-line clearance.

South Africa, under coach Hugo Broos, stayed compact at the back and worked hard to frustrate the Canadians.

Oswin Appollis threatened on a few counterattacks, but goalkeeper Maxime Crépeau was alert whenever he was called into action.

Canada’s attack improved significantly after Alphonso Davies came off the bench in the 75th minute.

Despite recovering from a hamstring injury, Davies brought pace, energy and creativity to his side.

With five minutes of added time almost over, Canada finally found the breakthrough.

A loose ball from a partially cleared cross fell to Eustaquio just outside the penalty area.

He controlled it with his first touch before firing a low shot into the bottom-left corner, giving Williams no chance to stop it.

The win sends Canada into the round of 16, where they will take on the winner of the match between the Netherlands and Morocco in Houston on July 4.

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