Jesse Marsch is delighted that his Canada team will get the chance to “go after a giant” next, following their historic win over South Africa in the World Cup round of 32.
Captain Stephen Eustaquio scored a brilliant winning goal in second-half stoppage time as Canada edged out South Africa 1-0 in Los Angeles.
Having never won a World Cup match before this year’s tournament, Canada have now made history by earning their first triumph at the competition over Qatar, before winning their first-ever knockout game on the biggest stage of all.
Timed at 91:03, Eustaquio’s goal was the first 90th-minute (or later) winner in a World Cup knockout-stage game since 2018, when Nacer Chadli struck for Belgium against Japan in a 3-2 victory.
Speaking to his players in a post-match huddle, Marsch was heard on the television broadcast to say: “You guys are showing your character, you guys are Canadian heroes now.
“You’re Canadian heroes for the future children of this country. This sport has a big future because of you guys. You should be so proud of who you are, because of this game.”
And next up, they will face either Morocco or the Netherlands – who entered the tournament ranked seventh and eighth in the world, respectively – for a quarter-final place.
Whoever emerges victorious from that last-32 tie on Monday, Marsch feels Canada’s next game – in Houston on Saturday – will be everything they dreamed of.
“I’m flying to Monterrey today to go to the [Morocco-Netherlands] game. Tomorrow, I’ll be in the stadium,” Marsch said after Canada’s win.
“I’ll check what’s going on, I’ll make sure our guys get a good reach in and they’re going to be ready to throw everything at a giant.
“Maybe it’s the Netherlands, maybe it’s Morocco, but this is what I wanted. I wanted to show that they deserved the right to go after a giant, and that’s what we’re going to do.”
2 – Jesse Marsch is the second American coach to win a knockout round match in the FIFA World Cup, joining Bruce Arena, who did so in 2002.
Triumph. pic.twitter.com/6jTmr5tHzn
— OptaJack (@OptaJack) June 28, 2026
Including a further seven against South Africa, Canada have had more shots on target than any other side at the 2026 World Cup, with their 28 also the joint-most on record (since 1966) by a CONCACAF nation at a single edition (level with Mexico in 1986).
They were deserved victors after attempting twice as many shots as South Africa (12 to six) and putting up 1.32 expected goals to their opponents’ 0.13, which was their second-lowest xG figure in a World Cup match (after 0.07 versus Mexico in the group stage).
South Africa boss Hugo Broos, who became the oldest coach to lead a team in a World Cup knockout-stage game at the age of 74, admitted the better team won.
“I’m still just as proud as two or three days ago. I think we had a good World Cup but today, when we play against a team like this, with power and speed, then we’re behind,” he said.
“This is something we have to learn. And therefore, it was important for this team that we were here.
“It’s certainly something we have to do and in the next few months, I’m sure this team will be stronger than before, because today we played against a team who are a little bit further along than we are. We played quite a good game. We could have done more.”
