INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP) 鈥� The tension kept building between two teams making their first appearance in a World Cup knockout match. With no goals on the scoreboard, the minutes ticked down with extra time looming.
Then scored in the second minute of second-half stoppage time, and 1-0 on Sunday.
鈥淚 shot with everything I had,鈥� Eust谩quio said.
The party was on, for red-clad fans in the stands at SoFi Stadium and at watch parties across Canada, one of three World Cup hosts.
鈥淥verall, it鈥檚 pretty much a perfect knockout performance,鈥� right back Alistair Johnston said.
Hockey dominates Canada in the winter months. Now, summer belongs to the men’s national soccer team.
The country鈥檚 previous best men’s international result was winning CONCACAF Gold Cup championships in 1985 and 2000. The women’s Olympic team won gold at the 2020 Tokyo Games.
“For Canadian sports history, it鈥檚 going to be a moment where you鈥檙e going to kind of know where you were when that moment happened,鈥� Johnston said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 something that is not lost on us. We know that not only are we writing history in Canadian soccer, but in Canadian sport, and that鈥檚 a magical thing.鈥�
Just when it looked like 30 minutes of extra time was coming, Johnston’s pass to the right side was cleared to the edge of the box and found Eust谩quio, who drilled a clean strike into the bottom corner.
鈥淚t鈥檚 just a moment of magic and something just comes over your body,鈥� Johnston said. 鈥淵ou see Steph sprinting away and just the whole team sprinting. It鈥檚 one of those moments that you鈥檒l never forget.鈥�
Eust谩quio became a Canadian hero in Los Angeles, where he played about 10 miles away in downtown for the MLS club LAFC. The 29-year-old midfielder was born in Canada and in his younger days played for Portugal, where his late parents were from.
Eust谩quio suffered back-to-back devastating blows when his mother died from brain cancer in 2023 and his father died of a heart attack in 2024. He remains close with his brother, Mauro, a former player and a coach in the Canadian Premier League.
鈥淚 couldn鈥檛 think of a more deserving human being in a group of incredible human beings, maybe Steph is the most deserving to have a moment like that,鈥� coach Jesse Marsch said. 鈥淪o I鈥檓 really happy for him. I think from somewhere his parents are looking down and they saw that.鈥�
In 2019, Eust谩quio committed to play for the Canadian national team.
鈥淭oday, we have to enjoy the fact that we made everybody back home proud,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 am over the moon.鈥�
In the next moment, Eust谩quio was quick to come down to Earth.
鈥淚 don’t want to say that the job is finished,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e have to be humble, we have to recover well and we know that in six days we鈥檙e going to have a very tough team.鈥�
Next up, Canada plays either the Netherlands or Morocco in Houston on July 4.
鈥淲e鈥檙e going to get a chance now at a true Goliath next weekend,鈥� Johnston said, 鈥渁nd that鈥檚 something that we鈥檙e all extremely excited about.鈥�
Eust谩quio couldn’t see the clock to know about how much time was left. Even during the hydration breaks, he wasn’t sure.
鈥淭here was a little bit of frustration knowing that we didn鈥檛 score and they were probably going to score if they kept pushing,鈥� he said, 鈥渂ut Jesse was just trying to remain calm, tell the team to keep pushing.鈥�
The Canadians got a boost when their star player, Alphonso Davies, removed his substitute bib and entered in the 75th minute. He hadn’t played in a World Cup match since injuring his hamstring in May with Bayern Munich in a Champions League semifinal.
Eust谩quio had served as captain in Davies’ absence during the group-stage matches.
鈥淲e have a special group. We feel like we are brothers,鈥� Eust谩quio said. 鈥淲hen we fight for each other, when we play for each other, special things like this can happen.鈥�
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