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Canada’s 1-0 victory over South Africa ignited fans across the countryLee Smith/Reuters
Fans across the country erupted Sunday as a stoppage-time strike put Canada ahead of South Africa, advancing the team to the World Cup round of 16 for the first time in its history.
At a packed fan festival in Vancouver, the crowd roared and jumped as red and white streamers shot into the air following Stephen Eustáquio’s goal in the 92nd minute. Among them, Alex Rockhill and his friends linked arms and danced, exuberant.
“We’re making history, baby!” he shouted.
The match in Los Angeles was do-or-die and, until that moment, it wasn’t looking good. It was the first time a World Cup host team had to play in another country, meaning Canada wouldn’t have its red-clad fans cheering it on in a familiar stadium. There was also no Voyageur-led march in L.A., because of a lack of required permitting.
Team Canada supporters wore the tension on their faces – at fan festivals, viewing parties and sports bars – knowing that their squad’s historic World Cup run could end at any moment.
At the Vancouver fan festival, there was a nervous silence for much of the game and more boos than cheers: boos when South African supporters were shown on the big screen, boos when Canada’s Richie Laryea was taken down in the penalty box with no call. “Ref, you suck!” the crowd chanted. They wondered aloud whether a missed goal-scoring opportunity involving Eustáquio, Moïse Bombito and Tajon Buchanan in the 44th minute would be the moment that kept them awake that night.
After a goalless first half, the crowd chanted that it wanted star captain Alphonso Davies. What they didn’t see was that Davies, who suffered a hamstring injury in May and had been sidelined for all group-stage matches, was already warming up.
Davies was subbed in the 75th minute and the energy immediately shifted. Suddenly, anything was possible. In the crowd, Rockhill and his friends rejoiced.
Canadian fans celebrate in Vancouver after win against South Africa at World Cup.
“He made such a difference, even with the amount of time he had,” Rockhill said after the final whistle. “It changed the game. He gave them so much more confidence.”
Mitch and Paula Heller, a husband-wife duo who also took in the game at the Vancouver fan festival, said the tension had been palpable.
“It was looking a little nerve-racking, for sure,” Mitch Heller said. “We had more chances. But then finally, at the end, it was cool to see [Eustáquio] put it away. This place went pretty crazy.”
At the Toronto fan festival, beer, hats and flags all went flying as Canada scored the winning goal. Fans jumped on each other’s shoulders, and strangers hugged while chanting, “Let’s go, Canada!”
A plume of red from a smoke grenade consumed the crowd and all that was visible for a moment was a sea of hands.
Anthony Ferrante let out a sigh of relief when he watched Eustáquio’s goal hit the back of the net. He and his friend were dressed in maple leaf wrestling masks and Canadian flag capes.
Ferrante said it meant the world to him that his team delivered and that he would be satisfied with how far it’s come even if Canada loses the next round.
“This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. So to be here now, you just have to live in the moment,” he said.
At Toronto’s Wolfe Tone Irish pub, the crowd rose to its feet as the final whistle was blown. William Skura, a soccer fanatic who called Sunday’s game an “emotional roller coaster,” ran around the bar high-fiving others.
“This is the beginning of hopefully a new generation of the Canadian football game,” he said, motioning to the children in the eatery who he hopes will now take up the sport.
Skura plays competitive soccer, and he believes Canada’s diversity of cultures means “we have so much potential to be a recognized football nation.”
“This is what we wanted,” said his wife, Victoria Skura, adding that she’s excited about the idea of living in a country that loves soccer as much as her birth country, Venezuela.
Canada now advances to the round of 16 to play either the Netherlands (FIFA-ranked eighth) or Morocco (ranked seventh) on July 4 in Houston.