Stephen Eustáquio, the Canadian national team midfielder, believes that his team had a great tournament despite being eliminated from the World Cup, emphasizing that the team was close to achieving a surprise against their opponent if not for the decline in performance in the second half.
Eustáquio said in his statements after the match: "I think we had an amazing tournament. Even until the end of the first half of this match, we were fantastic. Everyone in Canada should feel proud of what we have achieved."
He continued: "We felt that we were capable of winning the match, especially in the first half. We were the better team, fought for every ball, and created many chances, as set pieces were a strong point for us."
The Canadian player concluded: "But we conceded a goal from a set piece, and then we pushed forward looking to come back, which gave the opponent spaces they exploited in counterattacks and caused us harm."
The Moroccan national team qualified for the quarter-finals of the 2026 World Cup after defeating Canada 3-0 in the round of 16.
Morocco overcame Canada, one of the host countries along with the USA and Mexico, to reach the quarter-finals of the World Cup for the second consecutive time.
Morocco will meet the winner of the France vs. Paraguay match in the quarter-finals.
Morocco became the first African team to reach the World Cup quarter-finals twice in a row.
Morocco's three goals were scored by Azzedine Ounahi with two goals, and a goal by Sofiane Rahimi in injury time.
