*By Christian Smith*
In a World Cup filled with exciting comebacks and a record-breaking number of matches decided by penalty kicks, all it took for France to best a high-scoring Belgian team was a single goal.
Center back Samuel Umtiti put France on the board in the 51st minute with a header off of a corner, and the team managed to hold that narrow lead for the last 40 minutes and change.
Statistically speaking, France had Belgium's number when it came to taking shots for most of the game. *Les Bleus* fired off 16 shots to Belgium's 9, which is consistent with the team's shot count throughout the tournament. That evenness is why France is the team to beat in the mind of Jeffrey Marcus, publisher of the World Cup newsletter "The Banter."
"Even when things don't exactly go *Les Bleus*' way, these young hardworking players get impressive results," Marcus said in Tuesday's [edition of "The Banter."](https://mailchi.mp/e3c3e7abc46e/world-cup-banter-dont-believe-everything-you-hear-again)
Belgium was plagued by fouls throughout the match, racking up 16, including three yellow cards. France on the other hand ended the game with just six fouls and two yellow cards.
Croatia takes on England in the tournament's second semifinal match Wednesday at 2 pm ET. The winner will challenge France in Sunday's final.
The loser of that match will battle Belgium for third place in the consolation match Saturday.
For the full segment, [click here.](https://cheddar.com/videos/previewing-the-france-vs-belgium-semifinal-match)
NHL players will be allowed to use Pride tape this season after all with the reversal of a ban that sparked a backlash around hockey and among LGBTQ+ advocates in sports.
The NBA’s 78th season starts Tuesday, with a ring ceremony in Denver — the traditional celebration of the reigning champions — highlighting the opening-night celebration. The Nuggets beat Miami last June to become the league’s fifth different champion in the last five years, a run of parity the likes of which the league hasn’t seen in more than 40 years.
The Las Vegas Aces became the first team in 21 years to win back-to-back WNBA championships, getting 24 points and 16 rebounds from A’ja Wilson and a defensive stop in the closing seconds to beat the New York Liberty 70-69 in Game 4 of the Finals.
