00:00Now we go with our special segment on the occasion of the World Cup, beyond the game, the ball stays
00:05pure.
00:06Jorge Luis.
00:07Hi, Pablo. Thank you again for this contact.
00:10We're going to be talking about the upcoming game, especially Brazil versus Morocco,
00:14which is the most expected game of this afternoon in the World Cup, but we'll have more after break.
00:32Welcome to Beyond the Game. The ball stays pure. In more World Cup news, Group C will feature a highly
00:38anticipated clash between Brazil and Morocco this Saturday at the New York Stadium.
00:43Brazil, led by Carlo Ancelotti, are looking to start on the right foot after a somewhat inconsistent South American qualifying
00:50campaign, where they finish fifth.
00:52In their recent frontlies this year, the Selezao have shown strong attacking power thrashing Panama 6-2 and defeating Egypt
00:592-1.
01:00On the other side, Morocco arrives as one of Africa's strongest sides under head coach Mohamed Wabi.
01:06The Atlas Lions, historic semifinalists at Qatar 2022, have established themselves as a rising global force.
01:14They come into this match in excellent form, carrying a long, unbeaten run in international play, entering a 4-0
01:20win over Madagascar and a 1-1 draw against Norway in their most recent friendlies.
01:31The Haitian and Scottish national teams will also meet for the first time in World Cup history, closing out Match
01:37Day 1 of Group C.
01:38This Saturday, both sides face off at Boston Stadium in Foxborough.
01:43Hedy, coached by Sebastián Niñez, comes into the tournament after a convincing win over New Zealand and a loss to
01:48Peru in recent friendlies.
01:50The Caribbean side is also aiming to improve its World Cup record after qualifying for the tournament for the first
01:56time since 1974.
01:58On the other hand, Scotland returned to the World Cup after a 28-year absence, arriving in strong form with
02:05back-to-back friendly victories over Curaçao and Bolivia as they look to make a statement on their long-awaited
02:11comeback to the global stage.
02:19And in yesterday's news, the United States opened its World Cup campaign with a statement victory, crushing Paraguay 4-1.
02:26Mauricio Pochettino's side imposed its tempo from the start, pressing high and attacking with pace.
02:31An early on goal gave the U.S. the advantage before Florin Balongun struck twice to put the match out
02:38of reach.
02:38Paraguay briefly threatened but struggled to cope with the U.S. intensity and movement in transition.
02:44Giovanni Reina added a late fourth goal to cap a dominant display.
02:48The victory puts the United States at the top of Group D.
02:55It was definitely a statement.
02:58Three goals in the first half, opening game.
03:00I felt like it was a real statement and that's what we wanted to do.
03:04You know, so I'm very, very delighted with the overall performance, but especially the first half.
03:09Yeah, you know, as I said, when I committed and throughout the whole, you know, the whole cycle and the
03:14whole journey to me being at this point,
03:16I've always said, you know, the fans gave me so much, you know, motivation, you know, showed me so much
03:20support.
03:21And for me, the most important thing has always been to be able to repay that.
03:25So, you know, I feel like today's a great opportunity and, you know, as I said, you know, I just
03:29want to continue to show the fans, you know, I made the right decision and, you know, there's, I'm completely
03:34proud and, you know, I want to, I want to, you know, continue to make the fans proud as well.
03:43And Group D is taking shape after the opening round of matches at the 2026 World Cup.
03:47The United States sits atop the standings following its emphatic victory for Paraguay, giving the U.S. an early edge
03:53on goal difference.
03:54Meanwhile, Australia and Turkey are set to begin their campaigns with both teams looking to keep pacing what is already
04:00becoming a competitive group.
04:03Paraguay, meanwhile, faces immediate pressure to bounce back in its next match if it hopes to remain in contention for
04:09a place in the knockout stage.
04:17And in the other matches today, Canada and Bosnia and Herzegovina played out a high-intensity clash defined by tactical
04:22discipline and movements of brilliance.
04:25Yet, Canada was forced to settle for a 1-1 draw against Bosnia and Herzegovina in its opening match.
04:30Bosnia took the lead in the first half through Jovo Lukic and then focused on protecting its advantage with a
04:36compact defensive setup.
04:37Canada responded by controlling possession and increasing the pressure after the break.
04:41The breakthrough finally came when substitute Kyle Lahren scored the equalizer, rescuing a valuable point.
04:48Despite dominating much of the second half, Canada could not find a winner.
04:59With this result, Group B remains finely balanced.
05:02Both sides picked up their first point of the tournament with no team yet able to pull away.
05:06We still have to see the result of the Suisse-Alec-Qatar game later today.
05:10Group B is wide open, heading into the next round of fixtures where a single win could reshape the standings.
05:26And before we go, we wanted to share some of the highlights of our special coverage of football's biggest events.
05:32Few voices in sports carry the authority and perspective of Victor Hugo Morales.
05:37In this clip, the renowned journalist shares his thoughts on some of the biggest talking points surrounding this 2026 World
05:43Cup.
05:43Let's listen.
05:45The World Cup is going to draw a lot of criticism.
05:48When we take stock, people will surely be talking as much about Infantino as about the player who scored the
05:54final goal.
05:56Infantino is in the spotlight, as is FIFA.
06:00Especially given its relationship with the U.S. government and the fact that the World Cup is being played this
06:06way.
06:07But there are other inexplicable events.
06:09Look at what happened with the empty seats in Toronto.
06:14Infantino speaks as if he were the CEO of a marketing firm.
06:18He can't justify what has happened after so much preparation and after organizing a World Cup where ticket resales are
06:26allowed.
06:27Of course, so that FIFA can make more money and so that the World Cup becomes increasingly geared toward the
06:33world's wealthy elite.
06:35It's very interesting when he says we put $60 tickets on sale and it wasn't successful.
06:41He has to realize that a World Cup where the distances to travel are thousands of kilometers from one country
06:48to another requires an expense that's far above $60, $8,200 for three matches.
06:55They didn't think about that.
06:58This World Cup is so spread out.
07:00A World Cup across three countries, including huge countries like the United States and Canada, which are among the five
07:08largest countries in the world by land area.
07:10And there is Mexico.
07:12Anyway, I think a lot of things were poorly thought out because what always mattered to him was the business.
07:19And with this, we have come to the end of this edition of Beyond the Game.
07:22The Bolster Spear will be back with more, especially as a first game of the afternoon between Qatar and Paraguay.
07:30We're going to go back to you, Pablo.
07:32Thank you, Luis.
07:33And like this, we have come to the end of this news brief for Telesur English.
07:37My name is Pablo Michelis.
07:38And remember, you can find us at TelesurEnglish.net.
07:41You can also join us on Facebook, Instagram, Teleram and TikTok.
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