00:00And we're going out with our special segment on the occasion of the FIFA World Cup 2026.
00:04Beyond the game, the ball stays pure.
00:06Quite a pleasure to share this with you today. Welcome.
00:10Good morning, Lorena. Good morning to our audience.
00:12The semifinals are here. The first one is later today in the afternoon.
00:16France against Spain. What a beautiful match that promises to be.
00:19More on it after the break.
00:45Welcome to Beyond the Game.
00:47The ball stays pure. Spain and France meet this Tuesday in the FIFA World Cup semifinals,
00:51renewing one of European football's greatest rivalries.
00:54The two nations have faced each other 38 times, with their only previous World Cup meeting coming at Germany.
01:002006.
01:01Spain and France meet this Tuesday in the FIFA World Cup semifinals,
01:05renewing one of European football's greatest rivalries.
01:08The two nations have faced each other 38 times,
01:11with their only previous World Cup meeting coming at Germany 2006.
01:15Across official matches and friendlies, Spain holds the overall edge with 18 victories,
01:20compared to France's 14, while seven matches have ended in draws.
01:24But despite Spain's advantage in the head-to-head record,
01:27France has won several of the rivalry's biggest encounters.
01:30Les Blues lifted the UEFA European Championship in 1984 with a 2-azoo victory over Spain in the final,
01:36thanks to Michel Platini and John Tigana.
01:39They knocked Spain out of Euro 2000 with a 2-1 win featuring goals from Zinedine, Zidane and Didier Deschamps,
01:44then defeated La Roja 3-1 in the round of 16 at the 2006 World Cup,
01:49with goals from Frank Ribéry, Patrick Vieira and Zidane.
01:52France also claimed the 2021 UEFA Nations League title with a 2-1 victory in the final,
01:58powered by Kylian Mbappé and Karim Benzema.
02:00Spain, the reigning world champions after their 2010 World Cup triumph,
02:05answered back at Euro 2012, eliminating France 2-0 behind a Xabi Alonso brace.
02:11More recently, La Roja defeated Les Blues 2-1 in the semifinals of Euro 2024,
02:16with goals from Lamine Yamal and Dani Olmo.
02:19Their latest meeting came in the 2025 UEFA Nations League semifinals,
02:23where Spain edged France 5-4 in a spectacular nine-goal thriller.
02:27Now, Spain and France meet once again in what has become a true European classic.
02:32Both teams arrive in outstanding form and are widely considered among the favorites to lift the World Cup trophy,
02:37setting the stage for a semifinal where anything can happen.
02:42A clinical composed and yet to concede in the knockout rounds,
02:46France has once again established itself as one of the favorites to lift the FIFA World Cup trophy,
02:50while Spain, playing with confidence and control, has steadily marched into the semifinals.
02:56France looked every bit at the title contender from the opening whistle of the tournament,
03:01topping Group I with three victories from three matches.
03:03Didier Deschamps' side combined a rock-solid defense with clinical finishing,
03:08defeating Irak before edging Senegal in a decisive group clash,
03:12and then cruising past Norway to finish the opening phase with a perfect record.
03:17Kylian Mbappé led the attack, while France's depth and balance made Le Bleu
03:21one of the tournament's most complete teams heading into the knockouts rounds.
03:26France has continued the dominance without conceding a goal in the knockout rounds.
03:30A convincing 3-0 victory over Sweden in the round of 32 was followed by a disciplined 1-0 win
03:36over surprise package Paraguay in the round of 16.
03:39In the quarterfinals, Le Bleu ended Morocco's historic run with a composed 2-0 victory,
03:44securing a place in the semifinals for the second consecutive World Cup
03:48and keeping alive their dream of a third world title.
03:51Spain announced themselves as one of the tournament favorites by dominating Group H.
03:56La Roja overwhelmed Saudi Arabia in a commanding opening victory
03:59before proving their resilience in a hard-fought draw with Cape Verde.
04:03They closed the group stage with another emphatic performance against Uruguay to finish first,
04:09showcasing the possession-based football and defensive discipline
04:12that have become trademarks under Luis de la Fuente.
04:15Spain has steadily raised its level with every knockout match.
04:19Austria offered little resistance in a comfortable 3-0 round of 32 victory
04:23before Portugal pushed La Roja to their limit in a 10-Siberian derby that Spain edged 1-0.
04:29The biggest test came in the quarterfinals,
04:31where Spain overcame Belgium 2-1 in a high-quality contest to book another World Cup semifinal,
04:37extending an impressive run that has seen them concede just once in the knockout rounds.
04:46And as France prepares to face Spain in the World Cup semifinals,
04:50fans in Dallas are confident Le Blues will keep their Bastille Day celebrations alive with a victory.
04:58We're happy to be here because there are plenty of teams that would love to be in our position.
05:02I'm thinking of the Germans, the Brazilians and many others.
05:05We're feeling reasonably confident and hope to do better than we did against these same Spaniards
05:11at the European Championship.
05:13But it's going to be a very evenly matched contest.
05:16We mustn't be overconfident or arrogant.
05:19I love all the players that are in this team.
05:23I love Kilian. He's one of my favorite players.
05:27I love that he's so young.
05:29He's practically my age, so it's so cool that he's accomplished so much already in his career.
05:34And I hope he gets a second World Cup for France.
05:38Oh, yes. I've been watching all the games.
05:40I think it's a very strong team.
05:41Same like last time.
05:43So in 2022.
05:46So I'm just hoping for us to go to the World Cup and win this time
05:49so we can have that excitement from 2018 and 98.
05:56And the second semifinal of the 2026 FIFA World Cup promises one of international football's greatest rivalries
06:01as England and defending champions Argentina battle for a place in Sunday's final.
06:05England has relied on the leadership and goals of Harry Kane
06:09and the outstanding form of Jude Bellingham
06:10who have been responsible for the majority of the three-line scoring during the tournament.
06:17Argentina, meanwhile, continues to be inspired by Lionel Messi
06:20while Julian Alvarez and Lautaro Martínez have provided crucial support in attack.
06:25The history between these two nations is among the most iconic in World Cup history.
06:29The rivalry includes the unforgettable 1986 quarterfinal remembered for Diego Maradona's
06:35Hand of God and Call of the Century,
06:37as well as England's penalty shootout victory in the 2002 round of 16.
06:41Every meeting carries added emotion,
06:43but Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni has insisted this semifinal should be viewed simply as a football game.
06:49Expect a fascinating contrast in styles.
06:51England will look to control the midfield through Bellingham and Rice,
06:55while fitting Kane in the final third.
06:56Argentina will depend on Messi's vision and experience,
06:59quick combinations and the relentless pressure of its attack.
07:08And as the 2026 FIFA World Cup reaches the semifinals,
07:11two of football's biggest stars are once again leading the way.
07:15Kylian Mbappe and Lionel Messi enter the final four,
07:17tied among the tournament's leading scorers with eight goals.
07:20The French star is currently in the lead thanks to his three assists compared to two from Messi.
07:24But the comparison becomes even more remarkable when looking at their overall World Cup careers.
07:29Messi is competing in a record six World Cup,
07:31having represented Argentina from Germany 2006 through 2026.
07:35Across those six tournaments,
07:37he has established himself as the competition's all-time leading scooter with 21 World Cup goals,
07:42while adding 10 assists and leading Argentina to the 2022 title.
07:46Mbappe, meanwhile, is playing in only his third World Cup after debuting in 2018 and winning the title.
07:52Yet despite appearing in just half as many tournaments,
07:54the French superstar has already scored 20 World Cup goals,
07:58putting him just two behind Messi's all-time record.
08:07And the Croatian Football Federation announced Lavin Bilic as the new head coach of the national team.
08:13The 57-year-old manager takes over from Slatko Dalic,
08:17who stepped down following Croatia's round of 32 exit at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
08:21Bilic returns for a second spell in charge after previously managing the national team from 2006-2012.
08:27During his first tenure, he posted an impressive record of 42 wins, 15 draws, and just 8 defeats.
08:34While Dalic finished with more total victories, 62 wins, 20 draws, and 29 losses,
08:38which boasts the better winning percentage.
08:41His best achievement with Croatia came at the UEFA Euro 2008,
08:44where he guided the team to the quarterfinals.
08:51This is all for this edition of Beyond the Game, the Bullseys Spear.
08:54We're going to be back with more information loaded in upcoming segments.
08:57As we remind, just later today in the afternoon,
09:00France faces Spain for the first semifinal of this World Cup.
09:03Thank you so much, Luizzi, for keeping us posted on all the updates regarding the FIFA World Cup 2026.
09:09We will keep forward for this information,
09:12and with this, we have come to the end of this news brief.
09:15Remember, you can find this and many other stories on our website at telestudyinglish.net,
09:20and join us on social media.
09:22We are on Facebook, X, Instagram, Telegram, and TikTok.
09:25For Telestudy English, I'm Lorena Fong.
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