00:12Welcome to Beyond the Game. The ball stays pure. France and Morocco are set to open the quarter-finals stage
00:17of the 2026 FIFA World Cup in what promises to be one of the tournament's most compelling mashups.
00:22It's a rematch of the memorable 2022 World Cup semi-final where France ended Morocco's historic run, but this time
00:29the Atlas Lions arrived determined to write a different ending.
00:32France has looked every bit like a title contender, cruising through the knockout stage with victories over Sweden and Paraguay
00:38behind the brilliance of Kempapé and one of the tournament's most dangerous attacks.
00:43Morocco, meanwhile, continues to prove its success is no fluke. The African side eliminated the Netherlands on penalties before a
00:51commanding 3-0 win over Canada to reach the last eight, showcasing a disciplined defence and deadly counter-attacks.
00:59With a place in the semi-finals at stake, France will rely on its experience, while Morocco hopes to make
01:04history once again and become the first African nation to reach two World Cup semi-finals.
01:09The winner will advance to face either Spain or Belgium in the Final Four.
01:20And following the racist remarks made by a Paraguayan senator against France's captain Kylian Mbappe, French defender Dayot Upamecano has
01:28publicly expressed his support for his teammate, condemning the comments as completely unacceptable.
01:38He remains very focused on the match. Even though such comments are unacceptable. We are all behind him. We must
01:51continue to fight against racism. As I said, we are all behind him. I hope this person will face consequences.
02:03An Argentina stage a thrilling comeback against Egypt to book its place in the quarter-finals. Atlanta Stadium hosted one
02:10of the most dramatic and electrifying matches of the tournament so far, as Argentina defeated Brazilian Egypt 3-2 in
02:16the round of 16.
02:18Leonel Scaloni's side was pushed to the limit to keep its title defence alive. The Ferros stunned the defending champions
02:23twice, with Yasser Ibrahim opening the scoring in the 15th minute, before Mostafa Sico extended Egypt's lead in the 67th,
02:31putting Argentina on the brink of elimination.
02:33But the comeback began in the 79th minute, when Cristiano Romero pulled one back. Just four minutes later, Lionel Messi
02:40leveled the match at 2-2, and Enzo Fernandes completed dramatic turnaround with the winning goal in the third minute
02:45of stoppage time.
02:46With the victory, Albi Celeste advances to the quarter-finals, where it will face Switzerland. The match was not without
02:53controversy, as a third goal was an off for Egypt after a VAR review, in an extremely similar play that
02:59led to Argentina's third goal.
03:01For one side, the VAR intervened. For the other, it remained silent. The Egyptian Federation filed a complaint before FIFA.
03:14I felt like many Argentines must have felt, with a bit of anguish after the second goal. But we know
03:20Argentina has grip, has resilience, and Argentina's heart is there and…
03:27Well, we asked the Virgin of Lujan for that goal to come, for all the other goals that came right
03:32after. The truth is, it was very emotional.
03:39We never gave up, but we were very nervous. I kept thinking, no, no, no. And then, my voice is
03:45like this because of the second goal.
03:48I always know we're going to win. I suffered a lot, but we're going for the fourth one.
03:54And now, Saturday, I don't know, party from now until Saturday. Party, and then we'll see.
04:01And Egyptian fans applauded their team's World Cup campaign despite a dramatic 3-2 defeat to Lionel Messi's Argentina in
04:07the last 16 in Atlanta.
04:13We did the impossible, and the impossible wasn't enough. Today, our players were heroes. They did more than their part,
04:20honestly.
04:21We were equal, and they had the spirit of warriors. Thank God we played a great match that we couldn't
04:27even have dreamed of.
04:28We came very close to winning, but it wasn't meant to be.
04:33Khosam, did many good things. The team was exhausted, but the important thing is that we are happy.
04:39We are happy to have these players. They played good football and showed great determination.
04:44I want to tell the players, you have honored us. We are truly proud of every single one of you,
04:51and of the entire coaching staff, especially the coach, Hasan Hasan.
04:55It's the first time the national team has achieved something historic. We are extremely happy with your performance this year,
05:02and hopefully the future will be even better. Hard luck.
05:12Well, Switzerland also advanced to the quarter-finals of the 2026 FIFA World Cup after defeating Colombia in a dramatic
05:17penalty shootout.
05:18A round of 16 clash at Vancouver Stadium was defined by discipline defending and very few clear-cut scoring opportunities,
05:25with neither side able to break the deadlock, over 120 minutes ending the match to penalties.
05:30Switzerland proved more clinical from the spot, as Granit Xhaka, Zeki Amunduni, Cedric Eaton, and Ruben Vargas all converted, overcoming
05:38Manuel Acanchi's missed attempt.
05:40Colombia responded through Juan Quintero, Hamilton Campas, and Luis Diaz.
05:44But misses from Davinson Sanchez and Juan Camilo Hernandez handed the Swiss a 4-3 shootout victory.
05:50The result sends Switzerland into the World Cup's quarter-finals for the first time in 72 years.
06:04And Colombian fans expressed their pride at their team after playing with everything they had.
06:14We thought we would go as far as possible. It wasn't to be, but I know we gave it our
06:20all. It just wasn't our day.
06:22We gave it our all. It was a very tough match. We weren't up against just any team. And it
06:29was a great game.
06:30We kept believing until the very last moment. This is as far as we got, but I'm proud that the
06:35whole world got to see what Colombia and Colombians are all about.
06:42And for their part, the United fans celebrate a historic and incredible match as Switzerland beat Colombia for free on
06:48penalties.
06:51We were stressed the whole time, but in the end, when they won, it felt like they had broken every
06:56record.
06:56We've lost our voices, but it was historic, incredible. Three hours of football, but they won in the end.
07:06It was very long, very long. We're so happy, so proud of our players. We love them, and we want
07:12them to win the championship, the World Cup, everything for Switzerland.
07:18I thought I was going to have a heart attack several times, but now we're fine. We're good now. We're
07:24happy. We're delighted.
07:28It was tense from start to finish, but it was still. It was awesome. And we've finally broken the dam.
07:34It was the first penalty shootout for this new generation, and we've finally won a penalty shootout. Yes, yes, the
07:42curse is over. Come on.
07:54Well, this is all for this edition of Beyond the Game. The Bullseys, we are going to be back with
07:57more information and story shaping the World Cup.
08:00We'll go back to you, Ale.
08:01Thank you, Lizzie, for all of your latest information regarding the world of sports.
08:06And after this special segment, we have come to the end of this news brief.
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