Who is Stephen Eustaquio? The hero behind Canada’s historic knockout win

[p][b][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/eustaquio-stephen/Uk00cWLU/"]Eustaquio[/a] [/b]was called up for the 2022 World Cup, but wasn’t at his best. In his youth, the midfielder wore the colours of the Portugal[b] [/b]U-21 national team, but chose to represent [b][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/canada/x4toKORL/"]Canada[/a][/b], the country where he was born and spent much of his childhood.[/p][p]After building a solid career in Portugal — with stints at [b][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/fc-porto/S2NmScGp/"]Porto[/a][/b], Pacos de Ferreira and GD Chaves - the player caught the attention of LAFC, the club he currently plays for on loan.[/p][embed guid="99d10429-2f22-4612-9ece-6dc1ba0facd9" url="https://x.com/CazeTVOficial/status/2071339122778632310" social-type="twitter" /][h2]A historic goal[/h2][p]The midfielder, who has played for the Canadian national team since 2019, now holds a historic achievement: the goal that secured Canada’s first-ever win in a World Cup knockout match.[/p][p][b]The hosts defeated [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/south-africa/W2ijYvlr/"]South Africa[/a] 1-0 with a dramatic goal in the 47th minute of the second half. After the ball bounced, Eustáquio hit a beautiful shot, stamping the hosts’ ticket to the Round of 16.[/b][/p][image alt="Canadian players celebrating qualification" id="cd8ec74e-c5f0-4112-98db-1c15a1e534fa" credit-line="AFP" guid="d3d1ecea-9bef-4b3d-82b2-71b3b965abff" original-width="6000" original-height="4000" /][h2]Success in Portugal[/h2][p]Although he began his journey in the youth ranks of Nazarenos, it was at Pacos de Ferreira that Eustaquio[b] [/b]really stood out. After arriving on loan from Cruz Azul of Mexico, the defensive midfielder showed progress right from his first 17 matches. After being signed permanently, he played 74 games for the club before making the leap to Porto, initially also on loan.[/p][image alt="Eustáquio celebrating the qualification goal" id="0cd772e8-404e-476e-8d4a-e4741262fcb8" credit-line="Reuters" guid="9ec3fb64-83f3-4395-97b1-fe947338a0d9" original-width="5026" original-height="3560" /][p]The five seasons with the Dragons were crucial for establishing his career, especially with the experience of playing in the Champions League. In total, he played 156 matches for Porto, scoring 12 goals and providing 10 assists. [/p][p]Currently, the player belongs to Porto and is on loan at Los Angeles FC in the United States, where he has two goal involvements in 14 matches played for the MLS club. [/p][p]Wearing the Canadian national team shirt, the midfielder has already racked up 60 appearances - starting in 55 of them - as well as five goals and four assists. [/p][p]Curiously, when Eustaquio played for Paços de Ferreira in Portugal, he wore exactly the same colours as South Africa’s kit - yellow and green, the team he faced this Sunday.[/p][embed guid="d7a1d2fb-0c4b-4d14-be91-605efb5001c4" url="https://x.com/cordova_sports/status/1348453313365356544" social-type="twitter" /][h2]Love for Canada[/h2][p][b]Born to Portuguese parents, Eustaquio was born in Leamington, in the province of Ontario, Canada. As a child, he moved with his family to Nazare, in Portugal, but eventually returned for good to his home country at the age of 11.[/b][/p][p]Eustáquio even played for the Portuguese National Team in seven matches during his youth. He played seven games between 2017 and 2018, but didn’t score or assist. As an adult, the midfielder decided he wanted to wear Canada’s colours, since he had the choice thanks to his dual citizenship.[/p][image alt="Eustáquio and the Canadian National Team" id="8fec5fa4-94e0-40cf-8d72-7c2cfd9c8b9c" credit-line="AFP" guid="b0d9254e-10fa-4a54-ab61-8317e5990378" original-width="3166" original-height="2111" /]