CanadaMatch-winning hero Steven Estaquio said he “felt like everyone was gunning for me” as he credited their historic 1-0 World Cup win. South Africa to faith in the camp and the country.
In the 92nd minute, Eustaquio’s half-volley completed the first knockout game of the 2026 World Cup, which saw the hosts, who were playing in Los Angeles rather than Canada, fail to win their group and advance to the round of 16.
Canada created enough chances to win their first knockout game by a much larger margin thanks to Eustaquio’s special strike, which will instantly go down the list of the most famous goals in the country’s football history, needed to beat South Africa’s impressive goalkeeper Ronwen Williams.
It was an emotional moment for Estaquia, who lost his father in 2024, a year after his mother’s death, and one he attributed to the determination of Jesse Marsh’s side.
“I think we worked hard to get this win,” Estaquia said.
“We really wanted to give this win to all Canadians. We just kept believing, kept pushing and I couldn’t imagine it being any other way.
“I think it was an amazing goal, but when I scored I felt like everyone was shooting with me. They put a bit of power on it and it hit the goal. So I’m very happy.”
Estaquia hopes that Canada can surprise the round of 16
Canada will face the Netherlands or Morocco in the round of 16 next Saturday. Estaquio admits Canada will be the underdog, but hopes their faith can turn things around again.
“It (belief) started when we got out of the group stage. I think when it comes to the knockout stages of the World Cup, belief plays a big part in that,” he added.
“Now we’re going to get Morocco or the Netherlands and who knows, on a good day we can make things happen. Maybe the quality won’t be there, but if we keep believing and keep working, things can go our way.”
The South African boss is not ready to announce his decision to resign
South Africa coach Hugo Bruce refused to say whether he would retire after their exit from the tournament.
Although South Africa made the most of their first elimination game in World Cup history, the 74-year-old insisted that defeat and the disappointing nature of their performance did not detract from their pursuit of a place in the last 16.
“We will make a decision (on retirement) in the next few days,” Bruce said. “But it was a good World Cup. It won’t be an easy decision. Now I can’t say whether I will stop or go.
“I’m still as proud as I was two or three days ago. I think we had a good World Cup, but today when we play against a team like this, with power and speed, then we fall behind. That’s what we have to learn. And that’s why it was important for this team that we were here.”
Asked if this was the start of a regular World Cup finals run for South Africa, he said: “For us, it’s definitely something we have to do and in the next few months I’m sure this team will be stronger than before because today we played against a team that’s a little further down than us. We played a pretty good game. We could have done more.”
