One Extraordinary Photo: Historic game-winning goal from Canada’s Stephen Eustaquio

INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP) — Gregory Bull is based in San Diego and has worked for The Associated Press in Mexico, New York and California since 1996. He won a Pulitzer Prize as part of a team of AP photographers covering immigration in 2024. Bull also has covered eight Olympics.

Why this photo?

Canada and South Africa were both playing cautiously in the first game of the knockout round. As the match unfolded on Sunday, it was looking like we would only have one or two moments that would define the game. The result would give one team a historic win, and the other team would be eliminated from the World Cup and packing their bags. As Canada’s Stephen Eustaquio approached the ball, it looked very much like this may be the moment of the match. It was also historic for Canada.

How I made this photo

Canada’s attack seemed to continually bog down just around the penalty arc, as South Africa’s defense would swarm. From my position in the corner, that means a lot of bodies in and around the ball. Tracking the ball and player through a maze of bodies means you need to think carefully on your focus strategy. I decided to shrink my focus point in my Sony a1m2 from a center focus point of “small,” to “extra small,” to more accurately pinpoint the focus on one player. On this play, as the ball came back to Eustaquio off a header from a South African defender, he was surrounded by five defenders and a teammate, all moving in front of him from my position. From his approach to the ball it was clear he was going to take a shot, but he passed behind a defender as he planted his foot to strike. With the smaller focus point, I just had to stay calm and anticipate where he would reappear, and had he cleared the defender. I finally had a clean shot. I am holding two cameras at this point, balancing my longer lens on a monopod with my arm and shoulder, and firing with my shorter lens, in this case a 50-150mm lens. The key is to hold all that and remain as still as possible, as the smaller focus point demands a steady hand.

.Why this photo works

As the game was winding down without a goal, it was clear that any goal at that point would likely be the game winner. This photo works as it defines the one single moment that sent Canada on in the World Cup, and South Africa home.

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