Canada's Stephen Eustaquio broke down in tears after scoring a 92nd-minute winner against South Africa on Sunday, when a post-match interview brought up the deaths of both his parents. The 1-0 victory in Los Angeles sent Canada into the World Cup's last 16 for the first time in their history.
Eustaquio, on loan at Los Angeles FC from Porto, produced a classy finish deep into stoppage time to secure Canada's first knockout stage win. The nation had never even earned a point at a World Cup before this year's tournament.
Emotional Interview After Historic Goal
TSN reporter Matthew Scianitti asked Eustaquio: 'I want to talk about you for a second. Everything you've been through. Losing both of your parents a few years ago. Your young daughter. I know you're in the moment. In the moments to come, in the years to come, how will you remember this? How are you remembering your family in this moment?'
Eustaquio, fighting back tears, replied: 'Everything I do is for my family, for my parents, for my girlfriend, for my daughter, for my brother, for my friends back home. For all of them.' Scianitti responded: 'Canada says thank you, Stephen.'
Eustaquio lost his mother Esmeralda to brain cancer in 2023, and his father Armando died of a heart attack a year later. His daughter was born in 2024.
Manager Hails 'Canadian Heroes'
Canada manager Jesse Marsch delivered an emotional full-time speech to his players, telling them: 'Guys, think about the two years we've been together. Think about how we talked about sticking to the plan, sticking to who we want to be. Playing aggressive. Accessing our quality. You guys are Canadian heroes today. Canadian heroes, for the future children of this country, who play the sport. The sport has a big future because of you guys. You should be so proud of who you are.'
Marsch later dismissed criticism that his on-field speech was 'performative,' stating: 'People like to say it's performative to meet on the pitch. Frankly I don't give a s**t what people have to say. All I care about is our own team and what we do together.'
Next Opponent and Legacy
Canada will face either Netherlands or Morocco in the last 16 on Saturday. Marsch emphasized the significance of the achievement: 'At different times we've shared messages with each other. I always try to get the leaders to speak. They're Canadian, this is their national team. But I wanted to be able to voice to them how an important moment this will prove to be for the sport in the country, for the national team programme.'
