Canada March Ahead
Football has been gripped by the Maple Season as co-hosts Canada became the first team to reach the last 16 as Day 18 of the FIFA World Cup unfolded dramatically at the LA Stadium in Inglewood.
No Pride Lost For South Africa
The Bafana Bafana from South Africa, the challengers so to speak were chasing history of their own, but fell short by the slenderest of margins to return home with no pride lost, but a lot to gain in the future.
A Cagey Affair To Start With
It was a cagey affair as the match slowly gained momentum. Both teams had their chances, Canada a few more than South Africa, but the defence was super to say the least. The players stretched every muscle in their bodies to keep the ball in risky goalmouth scrambles.
Canada Had the Edge
South Africa, though dominated possession, didn’t have the firepower upfront. They could fire only 2 shots on target. Canada were much more enterprising with their moves and fired 7 good ones on the South African goal. Taking a holistic view, Canada just had the edge.
A Moment of Magic Was Required
The deadlock had to be broken, but it required a moment of magic, which arrived just when the match was hurtling towards extra time.
A Screamer From Stephen Eustaquio Settles The Issue
Stephen Eustaquio, the 29-year-old Los Angeles FC midfielder, on loan from Porto, etched his name in the history of Canadian Football with an absolute screamer of a shot from outside the box. Ronwen Williams in goal for South Africa, who till such time was standing like a rock, was beaten all ends up by the sheer pace and direction of the strike.
Canada Sail Through
Stephen had sent the crowd into a vociferous frenzy. There was no time for South Africa to come back, and Canada sailed into the Round of 16 to meet the winner of the Netherlands vs Morocco tie on Saturday, the 4th of July, 10.30 pm IST.
No wonder it is the season of the Maple Leaf.
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