00:00And we're going out with our special segment on the occasion of the FIFA World Cup 2026.
00:04Beyond the game, the ball is the spear. Go ahead, Lizzy. It's a pleasure to share the set with you.
00:09It's a pleasure to be back, Lore. Greetings to our audience once more, of course.
00:13We're getting closer to the first semifinal kickstart between France and Spain.
00:17More after the break.
00:40Welcome to Beyond the Game.
00:41The ball is spear. Spain and France meet this Tuesday in the FIFA World Cup semifinals,
00:45renewing one of European football's greatest rivalries.
00:48The two nations have faced each other 38 times, with their only previous World Cup meeting coming at Germany 2006.
00:56Spain and France meet this Tuesday in the FIFA World Cup semifinals,
01:00renewing one of European football's greatest rivalries.
01:03The two nations have faced each other 38 times, with their only previous World Cup meeting coming at Germany 2006.
01:10Across official matches and friendlies, Spain holds the overall edge with 18 victories,
01:14compared to France's 14, while seven matches have ended in draws.
01:18But despite Spain's advantage in the head-to-head record,
01:21France has won several of the rivalry's biggest encounters.
01:24Les Blues lifted the UEFA European Championship in 1984,
01:27with a 2-A-ZU victory over Spain in the final, thanks to Michel Platini and John Tigana.
01:33They knocked Spain out of Euro 2000 with a 2-1 win featuring goals from Zinedine, Zidane and Didier Deschamps,
01:39then defeated La Roja 3-1 in the round of 16 at the 2006 World Cup,
01:43with goals from Frank Ribéry, Patrick Vieira and Zidane.
01:46France also claimed the 2021 UEFA Nations League title with a 2-1 victory in the final,
01:52powered by Kylian Mbappé and Karim Benzema.
01:55Spain, the reigning world champions after their 2010 World Cup triumph,
01:59answered back at Euro 2012, eliminating France 2-0 behind a Xabi Alonso brace.
02:05More recently, La Roja defeated Les Blues 2-1 in the semifinals of Euro 2024,
02:10with goals from Lamine Yamal and Dani Olmo.
02:13Their latest meeting came in the 2025 UEFA Nations League semifinals,
02:17where Spain edged France 5-4 in a spectacular nine-goal thriller.
02:22Now, Spain and France meet once again in what has become a true European classic.
02:26Both teams arrive in outstanding form and are widely considered among the favorites to lift the World Cup trophy,
02:32setting the stage for a semifinal where anything can happen.
02:37Clinical composed and yet to concede in knockout rounds,
02:39France has once again established itself as one of the favorites to lift the FIFA World Cup trophy,
02:44while Spain, playing with confidence and control, has steadily marched into the semifinals.
02:50France looked every bit at the title contender from the opening whistle of the tournament,
02:55topping Group I with three victories from three matches.
02:58Didier Deschamps' side combined a rock-solid defense with clinical finishing,
03:03defeating Iraq before edging Senegal in a decisive group clash,
03:07and then cruising past Norway to finish the opening phase with a perfect record.
03:11Kylian Mbappé led the attack, while France's depth and balance made Le Bleu
03:16one of the tournament's most complete teams heading into the knockout rounds.
03:20France has continued the dominance without conceding a goal in the knockout rounds.
03:25A convincing 3-0 victory over Sweden in the round of 32
03:28was followed by a disciplined 1-0 win over surprise package Paraguay in the round of 16.
03:34In the quarterfinals, Le Bleu ended Morocco's historic run with a composed 2-0 victory,
03:38securing a place in the semifinals for the second consecutive World Cup
03:42and keeping alive their dream of a third world title.
03:46Spain announced themselves as one of the tournament favorites by dominating Group H.
03:50La Roja overwhelmed Saudi Arabia in a commanding opening victory
03:54before proving their resilience in a hard-fought draw with Cape Verde.
03:58They closed the group stage with another emphatic performance against Uruguay to finish first,
04:03showcasing the possession-based football and defensive discipline
04:06that have become trademarks under Luis de la Fuente.
04:09Spain has steadily raised its level with every knockout match.
04:13Austria offered little resistance in a comfortable 3-0 round of 32 victory
04:18before Portugal pushed La Roja to their limit in a 10-Siberian derby that Spain edged 1-0.
04:24The biggest test came in the quarterfinals,
04:26where Spain overcame Belgium 2-1 in a high-quality contest to book another World Cup semifinal,
04:32extending an impressive run that has seen them concede just once in the knockout rounds.
04:40And as France prepares to face Spain in the World Cup semifinals,
04:43fans in Dallas are confident Leblues will keep their Bastille Day celebrations alive with a victory.
04:51We're happy to be here because there are plenty of teams that would love to be in our position.
04:55I'm thinking of the Germans, the Brazilians and many others.
04:58We're feeling reasonably confident and hope to do better than we did against these same Spaniards
05:04at the European Championship.
05:06But it's going to be a very evenly matched contest.
05:09We mustn't be overconfident or arrogant.
05:12I love all the players that are in this team.
05:16I love Killian. He's one of my favorite players.
05:20I love that he's so young. He's practically my age.
05:23So it's so cool that he's accomplished so much already in his career.
05:27And I hope he gets a second World Cup for France.
05:31Oh, yes. I've been watching all the games.
05:32I think it's a very strong team. Same like last time.
05:36So in 2022, so I'm just hoping for us to go to the World Cup and win this time
05:42so we can have that excitement from 2018 and 98.
05:48And London is embracing World Cup fever ahead of England's semifinal against Argentina
05:53with Bellingham Station in Southeast London temporarily renamed Jude Bellingham Station
05:58in honor of the Three Lions midfield star.
06:00The Juve reflects the excitement surrounding Bellingham,
06:03who has scored races in each of England's last two knockout victories.
06:07Supporters are now hoping he can deliver another match-winning performance
06:11and guide England to its first World Cup final since 1966.
06:15The showdown with Argentina promises to be one of the biggest matches of the tournament
06:19with a place in Sunday's final at stake.
06:27And Swiss fans gave their national team a hero's welcome in Zurich
06:32after an inspiring FIFA World Cup campaign that ended with a quarterfinal defeat to Argentina in extra time.
06:38Thousands of supporters packed the streets and gathered outside the team's arrival point,
06:42applauding a squad that matched Switzerland's best-ever World Cup finish by reaching the last eight.
06:48Murat Yakin's side earned widespread praise for its discipline defending and resilience throughout the tournament
06:54before eventually falling 3-1 to Argentina after extra time.
06:57Despite the heartbreak, players and coaching staff thanked supporters for their own wavering backing
07:02as fans celebrated a team that once again proves Switzerland can compete with the world's elite on football's biggest stage.
07:16First of all, a huge thank you.
07:18We would have loved to stay for another week, but it's also wonderful to see our supporters again in such
07:23an atmosphere.
07:24The images we saw were fantastic. It was really amazing.
07:28We are extremely proud of the work done by all the staff and every player.
07:32I want to thank you all very sincerely.
07:38I think it's still a bit hard to take in what we've achieved.
07:41We'll probably manage it during the holidays once we've had the chance to relax a bit.
07:45But overall, I think it was a good tournament. We can be proud of what we've done.
07:50Unfortunately, in the end, it just wasn't enough.
07:53With a bit more luck, we could have gone even further.
07:56But that's the game, and we accept the result.
07:58It was great to celebrate here with all the supporters and to welcome the team, who gave us so much
08:04joy.
08:04We know very well that they all should have qualified, but it was nice to be able to celebrate them.
08:12The Croatian Football Federation announced Lavin Bilic as the new head coach of the national team.
08:17The 57-year-old manager takes over from Slatko Dalic, who stepped down following Croatia's round of 32 exit at
08:23the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
08:25Bilic returns for a second spell in charge after previously managing the national team from 2006 to 2012.
08:31During his first tenure, he posted an impressive record of 42 wins, 15 draws, and just 8 defeats.
08:37While Dalic finished with more total victories, 62 wins, 20 draws, and 29 losses.
08:43Bilic boasts the better winning percentage.
08:46His best achievement with Croatia came at UEFA Euro 2008, where he guided the team to the quarterfinals.
08:59This is all for this edition of Beyond the Game, the Voces viewer.
09:02We are just barely two hours away from the first semifinal of this edition of the World Cup, France vs.
09:07Spain.
09:07A beautiful game that will be unsure of it.
09:10We'll go back to you now, Lore.
09:12Thank you so much, Lizzie.
09:13We are sure it will be an interesting game.
09:15Thank you so much for keeping us posted on all of the updates related to the football.
09:19And with this special segment, we have come to the end of this edition's brief.
09:23Remember, you can find this and many other stories on our website at telesudyenglish.net.
09:27And join us on social media.
09:29We are on Facebook, X, Instagram, Telera, and TikTok.
09:33For Telesudy English, I am Lorena Fong.
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