Canada secured a dramatic late victory over South Africa on Sunday night to book their place in the Round of 16 at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, with a late strike deciding a tightly contested knockout clash.Missed chances, outstanding goalkeeping, and relentless pressure from both sides defined the pulsating match in Los Angeles.Ronwen Williams produced a string of world-class saves to keep South Africa in the contest during a difficult opening spell. In the 22nd minute, Derek Cornelius met a free kick inside the box with a close-range header, only to be denied by the alert Williams.Later in the first half, Canada came even closer. A dangerous sequence saw Moise Bombito and Tajon Buchanan both test the South African defence in quick succession. On both occasions, the Bafana Bafana goalkeeper produced outstanding saves to keep the score level at halftime.After the break, Canada continued to dominate attacking moments, with Tanitoluwa Oluwaseyi going one-on-one with Williams at 65 minutes. The South African goalkeeper reacted brilliantly once more, diving to his right to deny what looked like a certain goal.With the game seemingly heading for extra time, Canada finally broke through in stoppage time. Stephen Eustquio reacted quickest to a rebound on the edge of the box and fired a low shot into the bottom corner to seal a 1–0 win.South Africa were left stunned after a disciplined defensive performance was undone at the very last moment.Canada will now face the winner of the Round of 32 tie between Morocco and Netherlands as they continue their World Cup 2026 journey.
World Cup 2026: Canada book place in Round of 16 with late win against South Africa
