World Cup Nights: Canada open the last 32 and reach the Round of 16, Eustaquio strikes late. Brazil and Germany up tonight

The knockout stage is under way and it is Canada making history. In Los Angeles the co-hosts edge South Africa 1-0 thanks to a superb Stephen Eustaquio strike deep in stoppage time (90'+2') and become the first team into the Round of 16 of the first 48-team World Cup. A night of big returns, with Alphonso Davies back on the pitch. From tonight, Italian time, the heavyweights enter the bracket: Brazil-Japan, Germany-Paraguay and Netherlands-Morocco.

At the Los Angeles Stadium in Inglewood, the knockout stage opened with ninety tense minutes and a verdict in stoppage time. South Africa and Canada, meeting in the first World Cup knockout match in either nation's history, cancelled each other out until the 90'+2', when Stephen Eustaquio chested the ball down on the edge of the box and let fly on the volley, curling it into the far corner beyond Ronwen Williams. Final score 1-0: Canada are the first team to reach the Round of 16 at this 48-team World Cup, and for the Canucks it is the first time ever among the last sixteen.

It was a night of returns for the hosts. Coach Jesse Marsch handled Alphonso Davies carefully after the muscle problem that had ruled him out of the group stage: the Bayern star came on with a quarter of an hour to go for his tournament debut, while the captain's armband stayed on Eustaquio's arm. And the Porto midfielder grabbed the headlines for what he built, too: five chances created from set pieces, equalling the record for a World Cup knockout game. South Africa, well-drilled and defiant, held firm and threatened, but folded at the death: for Bafana Bafana, reaching the knockouts for the first time in their history, it is cruel heartbreak.

After the final whistle Marsch gathered his players and called them 'Canadian heroes', stressing the impact of the returns of Davies and Moise Bombito: 'Alphonso is an X-factor, he brings quality and a lift, and opponents always have to worry about him.' As Toronto's fan zones erupted with joy, Canada savour a historic milestone and now wait to learn their last-16 opponent: it will come from tonight's clash between the Netherlands and Morocco in Monterrey.

But it is from tonight that the bracket truly comes alive. It starts at 19:00 Italian time with Brazil-Japan at Houston's NRG Stadium: the five-time world champions, driven by Vinicius Junior's four goals and shaped by Carlo Ancelotti, are clear favourites against Hajime Moriyasu's Japan (the all-time head-to-head reads 13-1 for the Selecao). At 22:30 Boston's Gillette Stadium hosts Germany-Paraguay, while at 3am Italian time the Estadio BBVA in Monterrey pits the Netherlands against Morocco, surprise semi-finalists in 2022: the winner meets Canada in the last 16. And tomorrow offers no respite, with Ivory Coast-Norway, France-Sweden and Mexico facing Ecuador at the Estadio Azteca.

On we go, one night at a time. See you tomorrow at dawn.

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