Canada edged out South Africa 1-0 in their 2026 FIFA World Cup round-of-32 clash in Los Angeles on Sunday to qualify for the pre-quarterfinals of the 48-team tournament. It seemed as though the match would head into extra time after the scores remained 0-0 after more than 90 minutes.
However, all that changed in the 92nd minute when Canada's Alistair Johnston launched a long ball into the penalty area.
One of the South African defenders looked to clear the ball, but the ball ended up landing right at the edge of the penalty box, from where Stephen Eustáquio unleashed a spectacular right-footed volley to send the Canadians to the round of 16 at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Who is Stephen Eustáquio?
Eustáquio was born on 21 December 1996 in Leamington, Canada, to Portuguese parents. He began playing football when he was just four years old.
He began his footballing career at Leamington Minor Soccer before his family moved to Portugal. When he was seven years old, Eustáquio, along with his brother Mauro, played club-level football before the former signed with Leixões, a Portuguese second-tier club, in 2017.
He then moved to GD Chaves in 2018. In 2020, he switched to Paços de Ferreira, another Portuguese side, and went on to play in the UEFA Europa Conference League in the 2021-22 season, and scored the third goal against Northern Irish club Larne in his team's 4-0 win.
In January 2022, Stephen finally made it to the Primiera Liga, Portugal's top-flight league. He was loaned to FC Porto before they signed him on a permanent deal.
In February 2026, he switched to Major League Soccer (MLS) after Los Angeles FC signed him on a four-month loan. The loan comes with an option to buy.
While his professional football career has been smooth sailing, his personal life recently has been anything but. During Porto's home game against Santa Clara in April 2023, Stephen's mom died of brain cancer.
A year later, his father passed away due to a sudden heart attack. It was only months before his father's passing away when Stephen and his girlfriend Constanta welcomed a baby girl, Benedita.
“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,” Stephen said in his post-match interview after Canada's 1-0 win over South Africa.
Mauro had also expressed the legacy that their parents left on him and his brother. “We’re thankful for both of us to be doing something that we absolutely love,” Mauro, the head coach of Inter Toronto FC, had told Sports Net Canada in September 2024.
Canada will next face the winner of the Netherlands vs Morocco clash in their FIFA World Cup 2026 round of 16 in Houston on Saturday.
