00:14Welcome to Beyond the Game, the ball stays pure. France are through to the semi-finals of the
00:192026 FIFA World Cup after commanding 2-0 victory of Morocco in the tournament's opening quarter-final.
00:25Le Bleu controlled the match from start to finish, with Mbappe opening the scoring before
00:30Ousmane and Dembélé sealed the result. Mbappe could have made it an even bigger night but
00:35saw his penalty saved. Even so, the French captain now moves to the top of the golden boot race
00:40and is just one goal away from equaling Lionel Messi's all-time FIFA World Cup scoring record.
00:46France became the first nation to book a place in the last four and will now await the winner
00:52of Friday's blockbuster quarter-final between Spain and Belgium, with a place in the World
00:56Cup final on the line.
01:10And the celebrations began the moment the final whistle sounded. Thousands of French supporters
01:15outside Boston Stadium turned the area into a sea of blue, white and red, singing the Marseilles,
01:20waving flags and celebrating France's place in the World Cup semi-finals. After another
01:25composed performance from Didier Deschamps' side, belief is growing that this team can
01:30lift the trophy once again. For the travelling fans following the blues across North America,
01:35the dream of another world title is now just two victories away.
01:53And from the Champs-Élysées to Neighborhood Café, Paris erupted in celebration as France secured its place in the World
02:01Cup semi-finals.
02:02Car horns echoed through the capital while supporters filled the streets chanting the names of Kylian Mbappé
02:07and Nisman Dembele after the goals against Morocco. The victory keeps alive hopes of another unforgettable chapter
02:13in French football history, with the nation now united behind a team that stands just one step away
02:19from returning to the World Cup final.
02:34Well, let's see how the road to the FIFA World Cup 2026 semi-finals is taking shape.
02:38France became the first team to secure a spot in the semi-finals after that commanding victory over Morocco.
02:43The Blues dominated the game from start to finish, sending a clear message that they are here to win it.
02:48On Friday, July 10th, Spain and Belgium will face off at Los Angeles Stadium,
02:53two of Europe's most technically gifted sides meet in what promises to be a high-quality contest.
02:58The winner will face France in the semi-finals.
03:00Norway will clash with England at Miami Stadium on Saturday, July 11th.
03:04Norway's dynamic attack will be tested against an experienced England squad in a match-up expected to feature
03:09high-intensity physical play and plenty of scoring opportunities.
03:14Later that same day, Argentina will face Switzerland at Kansas City Stadium.
03:18The South American Giants will look to continue their title defense,
03:21while Switzerland arrives full of confidence after another impressive knockout performance.
03:37Our two European heavyweights collide in the second quarter-final of the 2026 FIFA World Cup,
03:41as Spain takes on Belgium for a coveted place in the semi-finals.
03:46Spain has been one of the most convincing teams of the tournament, producing dominant victories
03:50over Austria and Portugal, while combining possession, creativity and defensive solidity.
03:55Belgium arrives with a momentum of its own after edging Senegal in a thriller
04:00before delivering an emphatic performance against the United States.
04:04The Red Devils will once again look to Kevin De Bruyne to dictate tempo,
04:08while Spain's young stars and fluid attack have made them one of the favorites to live the trophy.
04:13Both nations know that a single mistake could decide the contest,
04:16making this a tactical battle between two of Europe's elite.
04:19The winner will move one step closer to the World Cup final,
04:22where France awaits in the semi-finals.
04:33Spain's Dani Olmo says that even if Lamine Jamal does not score or assist,
04:37he brings a lot to the pitch to help the team.
04:44Lamine, even if he doesn't score, even if he doesn't assist, gives us so much with his dribbling
04:49or simply with his presence as well, because in the end, when he gets the ball,
04:53the opposing team doesn't just send one player, they send two or three,
04:57and that creates space in other areas of the pitch.
05:00There's no doubt about it. Lamine has always done this.
05:03He's been scoring. He's been assisting. He's done it throughout his career, his short career.
05:10We're a team where everyone attacks and everyone defends.
05:13The coach always says the first to defend are the forwards, the number nine in this case,
05:18and then the others follow.
05:20Without a doubt, the back line has also done an outstanding job.
05:24The whole defensive line, each and every one who has played, and the entire team.
05:29They're a very complete national team. They've already shown that.
05:32They have one of the best goalkeepers in the world, or currently the very best, and they're a tough side.
05:37If I'm not mistaken, they came from behind in this last, or the previous, knockout tie,
05:43and they're a team with difference, making players that we really have to take into account as well.
05:48They have different players, and they have to take into account.
05:52Well, for their part, Belgium goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois and forward Theo Moreira
05:56said that they had good chances before Spain, even though the Averian team arrived as clear favourites.
06:02Well, obviously, it's a bit similar to what happened in 2018, I would say, with the quarterfinal against Brazil.
06:09Also, I would say they were more favourites than us, although maybe at that time, I think,
06:15maybe individually we had maybe more quality in the team, but I feel we are a great team altogether now.
06:20We are fighting, and I think especially the game against Senegal showed the strength of our team
06:27to keep on believing till the end, and that's also a strength on a World Cup.
06:31I think the most important is to win your games and not only to play well football.
06:35It's a nice thing to also play well, but the most important is to win and to continue, and that's
06:39what we did.
06:40And Spain is a great team. I think they are one of the favourites to win it.
06:44So, obviously, we start as an underdog against them, but as a football, everything is possible,
06:50and I believe that we can win with all respect, but obviously they are the favourites.
06:57We know that Lamin is a great, great player, one of the biggest for now, so I don't think that
07:04we have to work
07:04in a special way to stop him, but of course, like I said, we have a lot of quality and
07:09we will play with our quality.
07:11Like I said, I think we know that Spain is a good team with the ball. They like to play,
07:17so has us.
07:19So we have to be ready to counter-press, to be aggressive, and to show them that we have also
07:24good quality.
07:29Well, this is all for this edition of Beyond the Game. The Balls of the Spirit are going to be
07:32back with more tomorrow
07:33as Spain faces Belgium, and we'll see who faces with France in the first semifinal next week.
07:42We'll see you next time.
07:43Bye.
07:44Bye.
07:45Bye.
07:46Bye.
07:48Bye.
07:48Bye.
07:50Bye.
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