00:00We go now with our special segment on the occasion of the World Cup.
00:04Beyond the Game, the ball stays pure.
00:05Go ahead Luis, it's a pleasure to share the set with you.
00:08Good morning Lorena, good morning to our audience.
00:10And that's why we begin with this first edition of the day of Beyond the Game, the ball stays pure.
00:14We'll be talking about the surprising results of yesterday's match
00:17and also about the star-studded games that we have for later in the afternoon.
00:22But all of that after the break.
00:38Welcome to Beyond the Game, the ball stays pure.
00:41On Tuesday, Cape Verde produced one of the biggest surprises of the 2026 FIFA World Cup so far,
00:46holding Spain to a scoreless draw in Group H.
00:48The tournament's debut ends show remarkable discipline and determination,
00:52frustrating one of the world's traditional football powers for the full 90 minutes.
00:56Spain dominated possession and created the better chances through Petri, Rodri and their talented attacking unit.
01:02But Cape Verde's defense stood firm.
01:04Goalkeeper and backline deliver a heroic performance, repeatedly denying Spain the breakthrough they seem destined to find.
01:11For Cape Verde, the result feels like a victory.
01:13The Blue Sharks match Spain's technical quality with organization, resilience and belief,
01:19earning a historic point on football's biggest stage.
01:28Uruguay and Saudi Arabia played to a 1-1 draw in a hard-fought Group H match.
01:32Uruguay controlled possession early, with Federico Barber leading the midfield and Darwin Nunez creating problems in attack.
01:39Saudi Arabia remained organized defensively and took the lead through a swift counter-attack.
01:44After halftime, Uruguay raised the tempo, pushed forward aggressively and spent long periods attacking in the Saudi penalty area.
01:51Their pressure eventually paid off with an equalizer, earning a point in a match marked by contrasting styles and shifting
01:57momentum.
02:12Group H is equally balanced after the results, after all four teams opened their campaigns with draws.
02:17Spain were held to a surprising 0-0 result by World Cup debutants.
02:22Cape Verde, while Saudi Arabia and Uruguay finished 1-1 later in the day.
02:27Every team has one point, but Uruguay and Saudi Arabia currently edge ahead on goalscored.
02:32Cape Verde's historic point against the European champions has transformed the group into one of the tournament's most unpredictable.
02:38With Spain set to face Saudi Arabia and Uruguay preparing for Cape Verde in the next round,
02:43qualification remains wide open for all four nations.
02:54And Iran and New Zealand share a thrilling 2-2 draw in their World Cup clash, a match defined by
03:00momentum,
03:01swings, intensity and resilience from both sides.
03:04New Zealand strike first through a brilliant double from Elijah Just.
03:08Both goals coming from sharp transitions and well-timed movement behind the Iranian backline,
03:14with Chris Wood heavily involved in the build-up play.
03:17But Iran responded each time they fell behind, showing tactical flexibility and strong second-half pressure.
03:23Ramin Razarian pulled them level first, reacting quickest inside the box,
03:27before Mohamed Mohebi powering a crucial equalizer to complete the comeback.
03:32Iran gradually grew into the match, dominating spells of possession and increasing shot volume as the game opened up.
03:38Off the pitch, Iran's performance came amid major logistical strain, with the team based in Mexico and dealing with long
03:44travel distances and disrupted preparation due to U.S. restrictions and visa issues factors that have added an extra physical
03:52and mental burden to their campaign.
04:01Group G remains completely open after a dramatic opening round at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
04:07Belgium and Egypt played to a 1-1 draw in Seattle, while Iran and New Zealand shared the points in
04:12an entertaining 2-2 result in Los Angeles.
04:15As a result, all four nations sit on one point after one match, with gold difference and gold score separating
04:22the team.
04:22New Zealand and Iran currently hold the top two spots thanks to their higher scoring draw.
04:27While Belgium and Egypt are just behind, the next round will be crucial,
04:32with Belgium facing Iran and Egypt, meeting New Zealand in matches that could define the race for qualification.
04:52A promising to be one of the hardest brackets of the tournament, they see which teams and stars will look
04:58to qualify to the next round as part of Group I, debuting today.
05:03Considered the Group of Death, Group I of the 2026 FIFA World Cup will feature a highly anticipated showdown between
05:10two of the biggest stars of football's current generation.
05:14France is one of the top favourites to win the title.
05:17Led by Mbappé and featuring a roster of top-tier players, they will aim to finish first in their group.
05:23Senegal is one of the top footballing nations on the African continent, dominating the qualifiers and boasting a talented generation
05:30of players who will be competing in their third consecutive World Cup and the fourth in the country's history.
05:37Iraq is returning to the FIFA World Cup after years of absence.
05:41Interestingly, its first and only appearance before was in Mexico 1986.
05:46This year, they return to the tournament as the Central American nation again hosts the event alongside the United States
05:52and Canada.
05:53Erling Haaland's Norway rounds out this group, a team with a rich history that has always boasted talented players such
06:00as Odegaard, Patrick Berg and Zorloth.
06:03All eyes will be on the match between Norway and France, a showdown between superstars Mbappé and Haaland, promising to
06:10be a golf-fest.
06:13Top Eye is made up of European stars, with France and Norway as the big favourites.
06:19For the French national team, we have Kylian Mbappé, the captain and main offensive threat.
06:26Ousmane Dembélé also stands out as a major French star, a dynamic winger who is key to the French offensive
06:33system.
06:34For the Viking team, forward Erling Haaland is key due to his impact in terms of power, speed and goal
06:42-scoring instinct.
06:43While his teammate Martin Odegaard's main strength is his peripheral vision and surgical precision in passing between the lines.
06:50For Senegal, the key player is Pap Matar Saar.
06:54As a from-end-to-end player, he offers great physical presence, aggressiveness in defence and the ability to break
07:01through defensive lines with rapid dribbles or mid-range shots.
07:04While for Iraq, we have Ali Al-Hamadi, who plays a pace-setting role to control the game and provide
07:11defensive balance against physically superior opponents.
07:14Group I reveals striking contrasts in styles, where the world's elite coexists with physical football characterized by quick transitions and
07:23collective resilience.
07:28Well, and this is all for this edition of Beyond the Game, the most experience we were saying.
07:32Today we have a lot of star-studded matches in the afternoon.
07:35We have the debut in this edition of the World Cup of the two finalists of the last edition in
07:40Qatar 2022, France and Argentina,
07:43both competing against African teams on the part of France against Senegal and Argentina against Algeria.
07:50These are going to be very good matches that we're going to be paying attention.
07:54Also, we have Norway with early hand, and he's also going to make his debut in a World Cup.
07:58So stay tuned for all that, especially in the afternoon.
08:01We go back to you, Lorena.
08:03Thank you, Lucy, for keeping us posted on today's updates in the world of football.
08:08And with this special segment, we have come to the end of this news brief.
08:12Remember, you can find this and many other stories on our website, at telesurenglish.net.
08:16And join us on social media.
08:18We are on Facebook, X, Instagram, Telegram, and TikTok.
08:21For Telesurenglish, I'm Lorena Fromm.
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