Stephen Eustáquio plays Canada's World Cup hero as last-minute goal defeats South Africa

After all the subterfuge, after all the sleepless nights and marathon planning sessions, Jesse Marsch looked at his roster before the most important game of their lives — before the first men’s World Cup knockout game in Canada’s history — and went with his runners. In every position, he took the fastest man he had. He went for lungs, and he went for legs.

It was hearts that decided it in the end.

Stephen Eustáquio — 29 years old, quiet, steady, unheralded — scored in the second minute of stoppage time to claim a last-gasp 1-0 win for Canada. 

Canada will now head to Houston for the Round of 16 to face the winner of Monday’s game between Morocco and the Netherlands on July 4.

It was a goal and a game that changed everything.

The first half began promisingly enough. With largely the same lineup (minus the sorely missed Ismaël Koné) that looked tentative in the nervy opener against Bosnia-Herzegovina, Canada came out with more fight. Its press bordered on the maniacal, and it felt as though it might yield some early dividends.

But the South Africans, who upset Korea in the group stage by playing cagey, counter-attacking soccer, managed the pressure and gradually slowed the game. If Canada tried to do everything quickly, with urgency, South Africa did everything with a pace-sapping composure.

Canada finally managed to bring the game back up to its level with minutes to spare in the first half. Its best chance came on a corner, when Moïse Bombito’s header was cleared off the line, and Tajon Buchanan’s follow-up was smartly saved by Ronwen Williams.

Only moments later, at the start of stoppage time, Canada had a justified penalty shot when Richie Laryea was brought down in the box. It was almost certainly a penalty by Premier