Sea or mountain. Cold or heat. Order or chaos. Lamine Yamal or Mbappé. Spain or France. To each their own. What is certain is that the first World Cup semifinal confirms a new rivalry, a classic of modern football, a clash between what are surely the two most powerful national teams in the world, if Messi allows it. In Dallas, both sides of the Pyrenees face off in a semifinal of a major tournament for the third consecutive time. In the previous two, Euro 2024 and the 2025 Nations League, De la Fuente and his boys were sharper and made it to the final. But the past will be of little use when the ball starts rolling on the green of the AT&T Stadium, well covered, avoiding the scorching heat that reigns in the state of Texas these days.

Hansi Flick said in the preview that you can’t smile every day. But Barça fans have done nothing else since the league started. Three wins in three matches. Monday’s 5-2 win against Rayo Vallecano. Raphinha, who scored a double, keeps smiling non-stop. Gordon, indispensable, smiles. And on the third, Lamine Yamal finally smiled. Immersed in a wave of relief and rage, the Rocafonda native slid across the Camp Nou pitch seeking the fans’ embrace. His goal, after Raphinha’s first, was a turning point. It confirmed the Barça comeback against a Rayo that, without knowing how, had taken the lead. Gordon’s selfless magic, the new idol of the Barça stronghold, caused the 3-1 own goal by Lejeune. Camello closed the gap with the 3-2. Raphinha, relentless, provided the fourth of the night, and the relentless Lamine completed the rout, handing Barça the leadership on a silver platter. This Barça, the one that keeps winning three points at a time, is unstoppable.