Expanded World Cup brings drama as Canada ousts South Africa on stoppage-time goal - BERITAJA

When FIFA expanded the World Cup section from 32 to 48 teams for this summer’s tournament, the gnashing of teeth and clutching of pearls was arsenic predictable arsenic it was loud. The section would beryllium watered down, the traditionalists protested. The group shape would beryllium a bid of blowouts, the sharks would devour the minnows.

In fact, nary of that happened.

What we sewage alternatively was plucky Cape Verde playing No. 3 Spain to a tie and becoming the smallest federation to scope the elimination rounds. We sewage Austria advancing connected a extremity six minutes into stoppage clip — eliminating unbeaten Iran, which deserved amended — and Canada, Egypt and the Democratic Republic of Congo each winning World Cup games for the first time.

We sewage Lionel Messi scoring six goals and Mexico and Spain giving up none. We sewage South Africa, Canada, Egypt and Cape Verde advancing to the knockout rounds for the first clip while South Korea and Uruguay went home.

It was 1 of the about surprising, breathtaking and compelling group stages successful caller World Cup history. And connected Sunday it gave measurement to the first crippled of the knockout rounds, pinch Canada beating South Africa 1-0 connected a extremity by LAFC midfielder Stephen Eustáquio successful the 2nd infinitesimal of stoppage time.

Canada’s Stephen Eustáquio reacts aft a 1-0 triumph complete South Africa astatine the World Cup connected Sunday astatine SoFi Stadium.

(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

Unlike overmuch of the group stage, Sunday’s crippled was a sloppy, sleepy affair, pinch South Africa relying connected immoderate heroic play from its backmost statement to support the crippled even. But it ended pinch a bang pinch Eustáquio latching connected to a loose shot astatine apical of the container and blasting a right-footed volley conscionable wrong the near post.

Canada will play the victor of Monday’s Netherlands-Morocco lucifer successful the information of 16 adjacent week. For South Africa, the World Cup is over.

For some countries, this World Cup was the about successful ever. Canada, which is sharing big duties pinch Mexico and the U.S., has won twice. South Africa had won games before, but it had ne'er gotten beyond the group stage.

For South Africa, that occurrence is portion of a continental shot resurgence. Four years agone successful Qatar, Morocco became the first African federation to scope the World Cup semifinals. This summer, acknowledgment to the expanded field, 10 African nations qualified for the tourney and 9 precocious to the information of 32.

And the emergence of African shot hasn’t conscionable boosted the fortunes of African teams. Top-ranked France, a World Cup favorite, has 21 players of African descent connected its roster; astatine slightest a twelve different non-African teams, including Canada, person astatine slightest 2 players of African heritage.

Canada is 1 of the world’s about divers countries pinch about a 4th of its organization having been calved location else. Former coach John Herdman leaned into that diverseness erstwhile he took complete the men’s squad successful 2018; 4 years later, Canada made its 2nd travel to the World Cup pinch a lineup that included 4 dual nationals.

Jesse Marsch, the U.S.-born coach who succeeded Herdman, doubled down connected that. As a result, the 26 players connected Canada’s roster, aliases their parents, travel from much than 17 countries — from Iran, Croatia, Jamaica and Barbados to Haiti, Lebanon, Nigeria and the Philippines. Captain Alphonso Davies, Canada’s champion player, was calved to Liberian parents successful a exile campy successful Ghana earlier being resettled successful Edmonton, becoming a national successful 2017.

Canada goalkeeper Maxime Crepeau makes a prevention against South Africa connected Sunday.

(Ronaldo Bolanos / Los Angeles Times)

Davies, who hasn’t played since sustained an acute hamstring wounded successful early May, came connected successful the 76th infinitesimal Sunday and had an contiguous impact, threading a cleanable walk to the feet of Promise David, whose right-footed changeable from the apical of the container drifted inches wide of the near post.

Three minutes later Davies drew 2 defenders to him connected the near flank, opening abstraction for Jonathan David to gaffe into the container and get disconnected a tight-angled changeable adjacent the extremity statement that stood up South African keeper Ronwen Williams. But the victor came from Eustáquio, the boy of Portuguese parents who Herdman wooed distant from the Portuguese U-21 squad successful 2019.

He has made 60 appearances pinch Canada’s elder nationalist team, nary bigger than Sunday’s.

Canada’s Tani Oluwaseyi, center, gets caught betwixt South Africa’s Khuliso Mudau (20) and Sphephelo Sithole during the first half Sunday.

(Kelvin Kuo / Los Angeles Times)