00:11welcome to beyond the game the ball stays pure we begin with news with South Korea
00:16open its 2026 World Cup campaign with a dramatic 2-1 comeback victory of the
00:21Czech Republic in the Guadalajara Stadium overcoming an early second half
00:25deficit to claim three crucial points in Group A after a scoreless first half Czech
00:30captain Alislav Kretschke broke the deadlock in the 59th minute with a powerful header but South
00:36Korea responded with composure and intensity midfielder one in film leveled the match in
00:42the 67th minute with a well-taken finish after sustained pressure from the Asian side decisive
00:47moment arrived 10 minutes from time one turn provider delivering a precise pass to substitute
00:53Oh Hyun-gyu who calmly slotted home the winner in the 80th minute to complete the comeback
00:59South Korea dominated possession for much of the contest and created the better chances with
01:05captain Son Hyun-min playing a key role in the attack despite failing to get on the score sheet
01:19and earlier in the day on Thursday Mexico opened the World Cup with a dominant 2-0 victory over South
01:26Africa using aggressive high pressing to control early Julian Quiñones capitalized on a defensive
01:31error to score in the ninth minute while Mexico controlled the temple through midfield position
01:36South Africa frightened on the counter-attack but struggled to break down Mexico's organized defense
01:42the match turned decisively in the second half when South Africa had two players sent off allowing
01:47Mexico to dominate possession Raul Jimenez sealed the win with a header in the 66th minute as Mexico
01:54comfortably managed the game to the final whistle tactically Mexico's pressing and midfield control
02:00proved decisive of South Africa's reliance on counter-attacks was undermined by indiscipline
02:14and fatigue how about we take a look now at how these four teams in Group A stand after the
02:20first
02:20round of matches with the Mexican and South Korean team securing their first wins in this year's
02:25tournament the Mexican side takes first place in his group with a 2-0 record thus earning first three
02:31points while South Korea is in second place with the same number of points but due to its 2-1
02:38score
02:38remains behind the leader likewise the Czech Republic and South Africa remain lagging in the bottom without
02:44having earned any points so far with South of South Africa in fourth due to gold difference
03:02and attention now turns to Los Angeles where the United States and Paraguay are set to make their
03:07World Cup debuts speaking ahead of the clash the US head coach Mauricio Pochettino said his team is
03:13physically tactically and emotionally ready while warning that Paraguay will be a difficult opponent the
03:19Argentine manager called on his players to channel the excitement of playing at home and transform the
03:24pressure into positive energy Paraguay coach Gustavo Alfaro meanwhile insisted his side is not at the
03:29tournament simply to make up the numbers returning to the World Cup for the first time since 2010
03:34Alfaro said his players have restored the nation's football identity and are determined to compete with
03:40anyone on the world stage I don't want to talk about expectations because in my opinion expectations
03:50aren't for teens with roster full of players who play at elite level for us is about hope and that
03:56doesn't mean we don't have very good players I have very talented players but what drives us is hope but
04:02drive us is expectation and obviously we want to play we want to win and we want to have a
04:07great World Cup
04:08because that's the hope of entire country well we have talked yes we have talked a lot about all the
04:18expectations people place on a group of players who have to perform through their talent and inspiration
04:25and feel free on the pitch I think it's always a bit contradictory the people who want us to do
04:35those things in those message when us to give what we know how to do with complete freedom because they
04:40trust us and that trust is what we have tried to generate to cultivate to maintain so that the team
04:46can go out there and enjoy themselves this Friday action continues at the 2026 FIFA World Cup as
04:54Canada takes on Bosnia and Sergovina on match day one of Group B Toronto Stadium will host the first ever
05:00official meeting between the two nations in an international competition Canada one of the host
05:05nations will be looking to make a strong start and claim its first ever World Cup victory country has
05:10played six matches in World Cup history three 1986 and three in the 2022 Qatar edition and has lost all
05:16six so they will be hoping to finally record a win on the world's biggest stage meanwhile Bosnia and
05:22Herzegovina will be making only their second World Cup appearance after their debut in Brazil 2014 they
05:29qualify for this edition through the UEFA playoffs and will be aiming for a strong performance with the
05:34goal of advancing to the next round for the first time in their history
05:45and as we mentioned earlier the United States will face Paraguay in their World Cup debut this Friday at
05:51the Los Angeles Stadium the match marks the start of action in the balance group D the game pits the
05:57North American host led by Mauricio Pochettino against a highly motivated Paraguay side coached
06:03by Gustavo Alfaro returning to the World Cup after 16 years of absence the United States comes into the
06:08tournament following a 3-1 friendly win over Senegal and a 2-1 defeat against Germany in their most recent
06:15match meanwhile Paraguay secured their place at the World Cup after finishing sixth in the South American
06:20qualifiers in their final preparation match they deliver a strong statement with a comfortable
06:254-0 win over Nicaragua and fans from both Canada and Bosnia Herzegovina are creating a vibrant atmosphere
06:39ahead of kickoff outside the stadium Canadian supporters have been gathering throughout the
06:43whole city proudly displaying the red and white colors as expectations continue to rise for a team
06:48looking to make an impact on home soil meanwhile Bosnia Herzegovina's passionate fan base has traveled in
06:55large numbers bringing chance flags and optimism as the nation returns to football's biggest stage with
07:01excitement building on both sides supporters are hoping their teams can start the tournament with a
07:06crucial victory and lay the foundation for a successful World Cup run you know topics days before
07:19Argentina's debut at the 2026 World Cup head coach Lionel Scaloni has called off defender Marco Senesi to
07:26replace the injured Leonardo Ballerdi in a brief statement the Albert Celeste confirmed that Senesi who plays for
07:32an English club Tottenham who will join the reigning world champions following Valerdi's withdrawal from
07:37the squad defender suffered a muscle injury to his right calf on Saturday Valerdi had reportedly been
07:43experiencing discomfort since last Friday after Argentina's training session at Ellis Field in College
07:49Station Texas Argentina will compete in Group J alongside Austria Algeria and Jordan as they begin the
07:56defense of the World Cup title and in more World Cup news Japan captain Watadou Endo will miss the 2026
08:10FIFA
08:10World Cup due to injury Endo whose season with Liverpool was heavily affected by injuries has been replaced by
08:16Borussia Mönchengladbach forward Shuto Machino according to a statement released by the Japan Football Association
08:22through his social media accounts Endo said he has no regrets stressing that he did everything possible
08:28to recover in time for the tournament the 33 year old also announced his retirement from international
08:34football Endo added that in his view the Japanese national team has made significant progress since
08:40the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar and expressed confidence in the squad heading into the tournament
08:46the absence of the veteran captain marks the end of an era for Japan and the samurai blue prepared to
08:52begin the World Cup campaign without one of their most experienced leaders
09:03this is all for this edition of beyond the game the boss is pure state connected with
09:07Telesur on our socials and on our media to follow up the score of the whole seat of the host
09:12nation
09:13Canada as it opens against Bonnie as in her second arena which begins at 3 p.m. Caracas time go
09:19back to
09:19you Lorena thank you so much Luisi for all the updates on this on the world of football because
09:26all eyes are on the football World Cup 2026 from now on so like this we have come to the
09:32end of this
09:33news brief we have remember you can find this and many other stories on our website at telesurenglish.net
09:40and join us on social media we are on Facebook X Instagram Telerand and Tiktok for Telesur English I am
09:46Lorena Fong thank you for watching
09:48you
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