A late second-half goal from Stephen Eustáquio earned Canada a 1-0 win against South Africa in the opening game of the World Cup’s Round of 32, sending Les Rouges through to the next round, CNN reports.
It’s the first knockout round victory in Canadian history as they became the first World Cup co-host to play an elimination game on foreign soil.
The game was largely a tense affair as the Canadians struggled to get the ball in the net against South Africa’s stout defense. Canada on multiple occasions had shots cleared off the line and looked like the better team throughout much of the game.
However, the South Africans looked dangerous on the counterattack on multiple occasions and frustrated the Canadians throughout.
It took a moment of brilliance from Eustáquio, thumping a loose ball into the corner of the South African net as the game went into second-half injury time.
The match marked a bit of history – the first Round of 32 game in World Cup history as the tournament expanded to 48 teams for the first time this year.
The next match for the Canadians will come against either Morocco or the Netherlands on July 4 in Houston.
