Canada’s goalscorer Stephen Eustaquio could not hold back his tears as he opened up on his family following Sunday’s historic win.
Canada advanced to the last 16 of the World Cup for the first time in the men’s team’s history with a narrow 1-0 victory over South Africa in Los Angeles.
The last-32 matchup was a relatively slow affair, remaining goalless until the ball fell to Eustaquio in stoppage time of the second half.
The midfielder finally broke the deadlock, finding the back of the net with a classy finish in the 92nd minute and sealing Canada’s spot in the next round.
Eustaquio, who is currently on loan at Los Angeles FC from Porto, was extremely emotional following his game-winning heroics, choking up when he was asked about his late parents.
In 2023, he lost his mother Esmeralda to brain cancer and a year later his father Armando died after suffering a heart attack.
Canada’s goalscorer Stephen Eustaquio could not hold back his tears after Sunday’s win
Canada advanced to the last 16 of the World Cup with a narrow 1-0 victory over South Africa
In 2023, Eustaquio lost his mother Esmeralda (left)to brain cancer and a year later his father Armando (right) died after suffering a heart attack
He was asked about how he was remembering his family, including his young daughter who was born in 2024, during the celebrations.
Matthew Scianitti, of TSN, said: ‘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 responded: ‘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.’
Canada head coach Jesse Marsch gushed over the match winner following the game as he also touched upon Eustaquio’s late parents.
‘I couldn’t think of a more deserving human being for that moment,’ said Marsch. ‘I’m really happy for him and I think from somewhere his parents are looking down and they saw that.’
After 90-plus minutes of frustration and failure to break down cagey South Africa at SoFi Stadium, Canada made history in an instant when Alistair Johnston’s long pass into the box was cleared directly into the path of Eustaquio.
The midfielder who plays professionally at nearby Los Angeles FC coolly chested it down and blasted it off the bounce into the bottom corner of Ronwen Williams’ net before sprinting away to celebrate with Canada’s bench in the second minute of second-half stoppage time.
The midfielder is pictured with his two-year-old daughter Benedita
Eustaquio finally broke the deadlock, finding the back of the net in the 92nd minute
Canada head coach emotionally celebrates the historic victory with his players
Following Canada’s first-ever knockout win, Marsch huddled his players on the grass of a stadium still in pandemonium and spoke from his heart.
‘You guys are Canadian heroes today!’ Marsch declared. ‘Canadian heroes for the future children of this country who play this sport. The sport has a big future because of you guys.
‘You should be so proud of who you are. You should be so proud of this game. You never lost belief. You went after it, point after point, moment after moment. You are Canadian heroes!’
Canada will next face the winner of the clash between the Netherlands and Japan, which will take place on Monday at 6pm ET.
