South Africa 0 Canada 1
Stephen Eustaquio fired Canada into the round of 16 of the FIFA World Cup with a goal in added time to break a tense and unimpressive deadlock in Los Angeles. The incredible SoFi Stadium hosted the first ever Round of 32 World Cup match, a standalone game that was definitely not meant to figure Jesse Marsch’s men. An occasion that brought boos and cheers in equal measure from the massive crowd was in truth a difficult watch, and the spectre of extra time was thankfully avoided to send the largely neutral crowd home happy.
Arriving at Tom’s Watch Bar in Inglewood, there was definitely no room at the inn, the queue for the official Canada meet, organised by The Voyageurs, snaking around the severely under-staffed venue on the outskirts of the entertainment precinct. Heading to the stadium to soak up the pre-game fan fest atmosphere was the obvious alternative, although more monstrous lines awaited those looking to add trinkets to their Fan Bands bracelets, making access quite difficult. Inside the venue, the fans setting their eyes on the playing surface and the tribunes stared with wide eyes – this stadium truly is a sight to behold, the big screens in the centre of the stadium suspended from the roof in an incredible feat of engineering. A stirring US national anthem had the quarter-filled tribunes on their feet an hour before kick-off, the two squads came out to warm up, the Canadian first eleven cutting through the South African drills to head in early ahead of this noon kick off.
There was no doubt that Canada would have the majority of the support, Mexico shirts the next most prominent in the eight-tier stadium, a smattering of yellow behind the South Africa bench moving to the music and enjoying their time on the big screens. This was peak World Cup, the stadium filling up with all manner of national and local football shirts as the booming music beckoned the start of the now exquisitely choreographed pre-game sequence. The 130 volunteers carrying the giant flags stood and waited as the decibel test confirmed the slight favouritism to the Canadians, before the teams filtered in and the scene was set for two fabulous national anthems. Whilst the stadium certainly did boast pockets of empty seats, this was still a remarkable turnout for a World Cup game not involving a host nation at home and not involving any of the world’s powerhouse teams.
The well-watered pitch would play its part in the first half, players losing their footing whenever they tried to swivel quickly. Ooh Aah Canada rang out as Canada controlled the opening moments, but Maxime Crepeau was the first to make a save, his clearance leaving Tajon Buchanan racing away up the right, albeit to little effect. South Africa were calm and resolute in defence, Mbekezeli Mbokazi doing well to shield a ball out for a goal kick. Richie Laryea surged past his defender, his cross deflected over the bar as the crowd held its breath, and when Tani Oluwaseyi turned his man on the edge of the box, he slipped at the wrong moment and the chance was gone. Canada were building, Liam Millar bursting away on the left after his defence cleared up a promising South Africa attack, but his reluctance to fire the ball in first time saw the cross blocked for a corner, the referee eventually signalling a goal kick after intervention from VAR. Oluwaseyi fed star striker Jonathan David but the shot was blocked, and when Millar’s corner found David in space, his shot was poked harmlessly wide.
The crowd was restless. There were boos for the South African defence and goalkeeper Ronwen Williams in particular, playing the ball around aimlessly at the back, and Oswin Appollis revved up the crowd even more, taking his time to clear a stray ball off the field. A dangerous free kick from the left warmed up the fans, Derek Cornelius all alone to head straight at goalkeeper Williams. He should have scored. The sight of Jesse Marsch gesticulating wildly on the sideline heralded the first hydration break, booed by the entire crowd, although the cheerleader show on the enormous screens made up for the totally unnecessary break in play. It wasn’t long before the crowd was booing again, Williams happy to stand with the ball at his feet and the Canadian attackers more than happy to let him do it. Nathan Saliba’s ball retention was low, but South Africa simply gave it back to him, Oluwaseyi striking on goal, but it was easily beaten away.
The Canadian defence was resolute, Moise Bombito with a fabulous challenge to win a goal kick, but the ball was being given away far too easily for a top-tier international match between two teams with such lofty aspirations. The biggest cheer of the first half was not for Millar’s sweet turn on the left or the mad scramble that saw Bombito’s header cleared off the line by Aubrey Modiba. It was for Ted Lasso star Cristo Fernández, aka Danny Rojas, who was picked out by the roving cameras and didn’t hesitate to ham it up for the gigantic screens. The half ended with a penalty shout, and on first viewing it was warranted. Richie Laryea showed good feet and appeared to be swiped by Khuliso Mudau for a stonewall spot kick; there was though a faint touch to the ball first and the referee team waved away the vehement pleas of the Canadian players. Williams further annoyed the crowd with his unsubtle delaying tactics, and Bombito had to hold his coach Marsch back at half time as he rushed on to remonstrate with the referee.
Canada showed their intent from the first minute of the second half. Oluwaseyi tracked back to tackle Mudau in his own half, and from the next passage of play Alistair Johnston somehow kept the ball in on the right, David missed the cross and Millar sliced the shot badly wide. Ime Okon was caught in possession but got away with it. Saliba’s difficult afternoon was to continue, Maseko gifting him the ball only for the talented midfielder to give it back with a shocking pass. Mudau’s silky nutmeg was followed immediately by another, Saliba not having it and earning a yellow card. The Mexican wave started when Eustaquio was floored in a man-on-man battle with Maseko, and Cornelius was incensed at the referee for not playing on when the ball struck the official – the players were certainly wound up. Oswin Appollis then cut in from the left and unleashed a right-foot shot that whistled past the post, Marsch becoming more animated by the minute. Substitute Niko Sigur then sliced open the South Africa defence, playing in Oluwaseyi who showed great strength to fire in a shot that Williams parried, and Mbozaki was there to clear under heavy pressure from right in front of the goal. Sigur found himself in the book, and the boos for the second hydration break turned to cheers as the Summer of ‘69 got the stadium up dancing with maximum vigour.
Canada were on the attack from the restart, but Aubrey Modiba blazed over when he could have done better. Promise David had a first chance with a low shot that was just past the post, and Jonathan David had a shot saved from point blank range. Were Canada going to pay for not taking their chances? There were ironic boos as Canada went back to Crepeau and the football was starting to get ragged, passes going astray. Appollis fired one in from distance, but he was guilty of holding onto the ball too long, showing all the skills with no output. The clock ticked over the 90 minutes with the crowd booing Williams, who stood with his foot on the ball once more as if to say ‘come and get it!’.
What was to follow was the stuff of dreams for Canada. The lively Johnston darted down the right to cross – the steadfast South Africa defence half cleared, the ball falling to captain Eustaquio in space. His awareness to chest the ball and unleash a controlled shot low past Williams was outstanding and he raced away to be mobbed by his teammates, an emotional moment for a player who wears his heart on his sleeve for his country. Fans were dropping to their knees in relief, but there were still two minutes to play, Crepeau leaping high to claim a dangerous cross and with that the final whistle sounded, and Canada had pulled off a heist that looked so unlikely five minutes earlier.
The audio from the huddle was played through the stadium, Marsch was lauding his players and saluting a moment in history for the country. The South Africa players had peeled themselves off the grass and were beginning to accept their fate. In the press conference that followed, coach Hugo Broos lamented the lack of power and speed compared to their opponents today; they had lost a lot of duels, and the speed of decision-making was also under question. He did express his satisfaction at the World Cup campaign, the first time they have qualified in 34 years and despite the disappointment of defeat, he was very proud of his team. His country’s media was interested in his future, the experienced coach having already mentioned that it would be his last world cup, but with AFCON qualifiers just around the corner, he was happy to be involved in the conversation. His lasting legacy will be the turnaround in mentality of his squad – once resorting to stopping training sessions in his first year with South Africa to tell his players that it was their job to perform. The future is bright for South African football with such a young group of players.
Jesse Marsh spoke of a strong and disciplined performance. Whilst there was no mention of the numerous giveaways and scruffy football that we had all witnessed, he was happy that his team didn’t lose patience, especially when the opponents’ goalkeeper was standing with the ball at his feet. There was special mention for goalscorer Eustaquio, a fabulous human being who had recently lost his parents and was the ideal person to experience such a moment. Despite Marsch being an American, he underlined his affinity with Canada. “I am American, proud to be so. The ideals and characteristics of Canadians fit me very well,” he said. “Americans can be boisterous, loud and arrogant – that fits me well too.” He was not going to be pulled into helping the USA defeat Bosnia – that was not his job – but he knew that playing a modern giant like Morrocco or an established giant like Holland would be a big task. They would continue with aggression and speed; it’s essentially a free hit in the round of 16.
All eyes will be on the Netherlands vs Morrocco fixture tomorrow, the winners advancing to Houston in the round of 16 to face Canada. Just how far can this team go? On today’s showing, ‘no further’ would be an educated guess. However, this is a host nation at the World Cup, and as we’ve seen in World Cups gone by, that factor can produce unexpected and magical moments. Get ready for the rest of the round of 32. This was the first of many. Drama and thrills guaranteed!