Canada is the first team to reach the World Cup round of 16. They do so by beating South Africa 1-0 in a sloppy, inconsistent, and technically flawed game, decided in injury time.
The Canadians played better, had more chances (a couple of clear ones), but only in the 47th minute of the second half did a perfect finish from captain Eustaquio from the edge of the area secure them qualification, just as South Africa was already relishing at least extra time.
A boring, wait-and-see first half; the crowd disliked it and booed. The most notable incident came in the 44th minute: on yet another Canadian corner, Modiba cleared Bombito's header off the line, then, after a few ricochets, Williams pounced on Buchanan's shot. Moments later, Marsch's team claimed a penalty for a challenge on Laryea, but VAR allowed play to continue, ending the 45 minutes marked primarily by technical errors.
In the 17th minute of the second half, Appollis fired wide from distance, then in the 20th minute at the other end, Canada came close again: Sigur played it to Oluwaseyi, Williams came out and saved his shot, then Mbokazi beat David to the ball and slotted it into an empty net. In the 31st minute, substitute Promise David fired just wide from 20 meters, then his namesake Jonathan fired straight at the goalkeeper from a tight angle.
The pace slows, and the score is still 0-0 at five minutes of injury time, with South Africa trying to completely put the match to bed. But in the 47th minute, Canadian captain Eustaquio controls a blocked ball with his chest and, from the edge of the penalty area, unleashes a shot with his right foot, firing it precisely to the far post. This is Canada's first appearance in the round of 16 of a World Cup, and they will face the winner of the Netherlands-Morocco match.
Two matches are scheduled tonight: Brazil-Japan at 7pm, Germany-Paraguay at 10.30pm, and tonight it's the turn of the Netherlands and Morocco.
The round of 32
Germany-Paraguay
France-Sweden
South Africa-Canada 0-1
