Stephen Eustáquio: “I felt everyone wrote me off, it made me stronger” | OneFootball

Canada defeated South Africa 1-0, thanks to a goal by Stephen Eustáquio in the 90+1st minute, securing a historic qualification for the World Cup round of 16. At the end of the match, the FC Porto-linked midfielder was named the MVP of the game and expressed his joy at this unprecedented achievement.

“We worked very hard to get this victory. We really wanted to dedicate this win to all Canadians. I think it was a fantastic goal. When I struck the ball, I felt like everyone was striking it with me. They gave it a little more power and the ball ended up in the back of the net. So I’m very happy,” the Portuguese-Canadian began by saying.

Eustáquio also had a warning for the possible opponent in the next round: “We’re going to try to make sure Morocco and the Netherlands watch our game and realise that, if they go through, they’ll be facing the toughest match of this entire World Cup. We did a fantastic job and it’s going to be a fantastic game next week.”

The Canada captain did not hide his emotion as he recalled the loss of his parents (his mother in 2023 and his father in 2024): “Everything I do is for them, for my girlfriend, for my daughter, for my brother, for my friends. For everyone.”

The winner of the match between the Netherlands and Morocco, scheduled for the early hours of Tuesday morning, will face Canada next Saturday in Houston.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇵🇹 here.