LOS ANGELES — Even after scoring one of the biggest goals in Canadian soccer history, Stephen Eustaquio remained humble.
The 29-year-old midfielder played hero on Sunday, chesting down a ball in the second minute of second-half stoppage time and sending a right-footed shot swinging into the bottom of the net to give Canada a 1-0 lead over South Africa in a round-of-32 FIFA World Cup game.
Minutes later, the final whistle sounded and Canada had its first-ever win in the knockout round of the men’s tournament.
Eustaquio recognized the importance of his strike, but was quick to play down his role.
“I feel very happy that I scored the goal, that I was able to help the team,” he said after the game.
”But that shot, I felt that everybody in the team shot that ball with me.
We are very good, we believed a lot in this game.
We knew that if we were our best, we could win and we did history.” Eustaquio’s teammates were eager to praise their vice captain, with Tani Oluwaseyi calling him “the heartbeat of this team.” “He worked so hard on the field, he’s one of our leaders off the field,” the striker said.
”So, for it to be him who gets that goal, honestly, I think we’re all just ecstatic.
We’re all elated.” The Los Angeles FC midfielder played an “amazing game” and deserved the moment, added Liam Millar.