California [US], June 29 (ANI): The FIFA World Cup knockout stage obtained underway in dramatic vogue as co-hosts Canada booked their place within the Round of 16 with a stoppage-time 1-0 victory over South Africa.
Stephen Eustaquio scored the decisive purpose within the second minute of added time (ninetieth minute), latching onto a clearance on the fringe of the penalty space earlier than firing a strong volley into the underside nook to seal Canada’s historic victory.
Canada vs South Africa – Stats
The win sends Canada into the Round of 16, the place they are going to face the winner of the Round of 32 conflict between the Netherlands and Morocco.
Canada scripted historical past by defeating South Africa to register their first-ever FIFA World Cup knockout stage victory, with a number of information tumbling following the Round of 32 contest.
According to ESPN, Canada grew to become the primary Concacaf nation to advance within the FIFA World Cup knockout stage since Costa Rica defeated Greece on penalties within the Round of 16 on the 2014 event, ending a 12-year watch for the area.
Canada captain Alphonso Davies etched his identify into FIFA World Cup historical past by turning into the 1,000th participant to make an look on the 2026 event throughout Canada’s Round of 32 conflict towards South Africa, in keeping with FIFA’s X deal with.
Stephen Eustaquio scored the decisive purpose within the second minute of second-half stoppage time (90+2), registering the most recent match-winning purpose by a Concacaf nation on the FIFA World Cup. The solely different stoppage-time winner for a Concacaf facet on the event got here by Landon Donovan, who scored within the 90+1 minute towards Algeria throughout the 2010 group stage.
Eustaquio’s strike was additionally the primary injury-time winner in a FIFA World Cup knockout stage match since Nacer Chadli scored for Belgium towards Japan within the 2018 Round of 16. The midfielder grew to become the third lively Major League Soccer (MLS) participant to attain in a FIFA World Cup knockout stage match, becoming a member of Landon Donovan, who scored twice, and Brian McBride.
According to ESPN, Canada have now scored 9 objectives on the 2026 FIFA World Cup, probably the most by a Concacaf males’s staff in a single version of the event. They additionally grew to become the primary staff in FIFA World Cup historical past to safe their maiden knockout stage victory with a second-half stoppage-time winner.
Canada dominated the attacking statistics, ending the match with seven pictures heading in the right direction. That took their event tally to twenty-eight pictures heading in the right direction, the joint-most by a Concacaf facet in a single FIFA World Cup since information started in 1966, equalling Mexico’s complete from the 1986 version.
South Africa, in the meantime, managed their first shot heading in the right direction throughout the opening six minutes however did not register one other effort heading in the right direction for the rest of the competition. They additionally recorded an anticipated objectives (xG) complete of simply 0.13 towards Canada, their second-lowest determine in a FIFA World Cup match after the 0.07 xG they produced towards Mexico on Matchday 1.
Eustaquio additionally created 5 possibilities from set performs throughout the match, equalling the best tally on file since 1966 by a participant in a FIFA World Cup knockout stage match alongside Andrea Pirlo’s efficiency towards Germany within the 2006 semifinal.
According to ESPN, South Africa had by no means beforehand misplaced a FIFA World Cup match after going into half-time stage, with a file of 1 win and two attracts in such conditions. Canada, however, secured their first victory after coming into the interval stage, having misplaced all three earlier FIFA World Cup matches underneath these circumstances.
South Africa defender Mbekezeli Mbokazi, aged 20 years and 282 days, grew to become the youngest African participant to start out a FIFA World Cup knockout stage match since Nigeria’s Kenneth Omeruo, who began towards France in 2014 on the age of 20 years and 256 days, excluding third-place matches.
Goalkeeper Ronwen Williams, aged 34 years and 158 days, grew to become the second-oldest African participant to start out a FIFA World Cup knockout stage match, behind Nigeria’s Peter Rufai, who was 34 years and 308 days outdated towards Denmark in 1998.
The contest between world No. 32 Canada and world No. 54 South Africa was solely the third FIFA World Cup knockout stage match that includes two groups ranked exterior the highest 30 within the FIFA Rankings, after Switzerland (35) versus Ukraine (45) in 2006 and Paraguay (31) versus Japan (45) in 2010. Both earlier matches ended 0-0 earlier than being selected penalties.
With a median age of 26 years and 186 days, South Africa fielded their youngest-ever beginning XI in a FIFA World Cup knockout stage match by an African nation since Algeria’s staff, which averaged 26 years and 72 days, towards Germany in 2014.
At 74 years of age, South Africa’s head coach, Hugo Broos, grew to become the oldest supervisor to take cost of a staff within the knockout levels of the FIFA World Cup. (ANI)