World Cup English

We don’t yet know who will win the World Cup, but we already know how newspapers will cover the competition. We also know much of the vocabulary the sportswriters will use. Let’s learn it before the competition starts!

Note: For current material now that the competition has opened, click here.

You can hear the following section by clicking here.

One of the nice things about the newspaper is that it comes to us fresh every day. It is packed with information on what is happening here and around the world. At the same time, however, it is extremely predictable. The facts and details may change every day, but the basic topics and stories remain much the same – as does the way they are written and presented.

Thus, even though the World Cup competition has not yet begun, we still have a very good idea of how it will be covered in the Bangkok Post. We can, of course, expect the usual match reports, but we can also expect to find pre-game and post-game analysis, comments from players and coaches, features on top players and a whole lot of speculation about which teams will make it into the later rounds and, of course, who will walk away with the World Cup itself.

It won’t all be about sports either. You can expect numerous local-colour stories on the host country Germany . Then there will be stories on fan reaction where the jubilant winners celebrate and heartbroken losers mourn. At the same time, the business pages will add up the profits, which should be in the billions of dollars.

Sports writing is always lively and the World Cup will feature many of the best sports journalists in the business. In the section that follows, I’m going to take a chance and predict some of the language they will use. Of course, I have the advantage of a huge store of past stories to work from, so I’m reasonably confident you will actually see much of what I have included below.

Talking about the World Cup

Note: This is bit much to remember, so you’ll probably need to read it several times and listen to it several times.  As you read, try to connect the descriptive words with famous players or with teams currently playing well and teams which are not. Save the page and reread it once the competition begins and after it ends.

For convenience, I will divide this section into several topics, but you can use many of the words and phrases below with different topics as well. And they are certainly not limited to football either. All are good English terms that you can use with many subjects.

You can hear the following section by clicking here.

The players

You probably already know many useful words like talented, skilful, experienced, and creative. Here are some more that you might not know.

The best players are often called gifted – their skills are a gift of God. Some of the best – like England ’s Wayne Rooney or Brazil ’s Ronaldinho are prolific scorers, playing with a flair that dazzles us. Physically, players can be muscular or wiry, lanky or diminutive. Most players are extremely agile and the best scorers often have breathtaking pace.

Many of the players are veterans, having played for many years. Some of these players are in their prime – at the peak of their careers. Others are a bit past their prime and perhaps lack some of the stamina of their youth. But few are really over the hill. In fact, the World Cup often revitalises or rejuvenates veteran players, making them seem young again, well capable of surviving the gruelling competition. These experienced players often spearhead their teams in the attack or anchor them on defence.

Younger players are often called promising and, if they are especially young and talented, they might be called a prodigy. People watch closely to see if they live up to their promise and make their mark in the World Cup. Fans want to see if the players are equal to the task – able to shoulder the responsibility of representing their countries in such a big event.

There is also much interest in the character and personalities of the star players. Sports writers like players who are consistent and dependable and they criticise those who are erratic or unpredictable. But that doesn’t mean they want players to be dull and boring. Everyone likes players who seem a bit eccentric and they even accept those who are volatile – if they are good, of course.

gifted – having great natural ability to do something well
prolific – scoring a lot of goals
flair – doing things in an original, interesting and stylish wa
dazzle – to impress especially because of great skill, beauty or other qualities
muscular – very fit and strong with firm muscles
wiry – rather thing but strong
lanky – tall and thin and moving rather awkwardly
diminutive – very small
agile – moving quickly and easily
breathtaking pace – having great running speed
veteran – a person who has long experience doing something
prime – the strongest, most active or most successful stage of life
peak – the top, the prime
past their prime – no longer as strong, active or as successful as previously
stamina – the physical or mental energy needed to do a difficult or tiring activity for a long time
over the hill – past the prime; not longer as successful as before, especially because of age
revitalise – to make active or healthy again
rejuvenate – to make feel or look young again; to revitalise
grueling – extremely tiring and difficult to do
spearhead – to lead
anchor – to stabilise
promising – seeming likely to be very good or successful
prodigy – (of someone very young) having great natural ability for something such as sport, music, mathematics, etc.
live up to their promise – to become as successful as hoped or expected
make their mark – to have a significant impact or effect
equal to the task – able to do what is expected or required
shoulder the responsibility – to carry out your duties or responsibilities
consistent – always achieving the same level of success or performing at the same level
dependable – able to be relied upon to do something
erratic – not following a regular pattern; doing unexpected things; inconsistent
unpredictable – very inconsistent; impossible to know what the person will do
volatile – changing moods rapidly; easily angered

The performance

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Movie reviewers rate the performance of the actors in a movie. Similarly, sportswriters rate the performances of the teams and their players in a match. They are quick to pay tribute, often describing a convincing victory by a powerful team as an awesome performance or an exhilarating – even scintillating – display of skill. They may even praise a losing team for a determined, feisty, tenacious, spirited or enthusiastic effort.

But writers can also be equally quick to give out harsh criticism for an inept effort. ‘What garbage,’ declared the German magazine Bild after the national side lost 1 – 0 to Wales before the last World Cup. ‘What business do we have at the finals? It was really horrible. The defense was a disaster and the attack was completely invisible’.

Humiliating, embarrassing, and horrendous are also popular terms for describing particularly woeful performances. In fairness, sports writers are hard to impress and they may rate an effort that looks acceptable to us as disappointing, sloppy, lack-lustre, mediocre or sluggish. Sometimes, they will be sympathetic, however, if a losing side has been depleted by injuries, depriving them of their top stars.

pay tribute – to give praise for doing something very good
awesome – very impressive
exhilarating – causing you to feel very happy and excited
scintillating – very lively and interesting; sparkling
determined – to not let anything stop you from doing or accomplishing something; resolute
feisty – tough and full of spirit
tenacious – determined and not willing to give up easily
spirited – showing great energy; active; lively; confident
enthusiastic – showing that you like or enjoy something very much
inept – showing a complete lack of skill
horrible – very bad
disaster – something that is very bad or unacceptable
invisible – not able to been seen, i.e., very ineffective
humiliating – feeling ashamed or stupid about something
embarrassing – feeling shy or ashamed about something
horrendous – extremely bad, unpleasant or shocking
woeful – very bad or undesirable
sloppy – careless and lazy
lackluster – not exciting or energetic
mediocre – only average when it should be better
sluggish – lacking energy; slower than normal
sympathetic – showing understanding for someone in a bad situation
depleted – reduced; having too little of something
depriving – taking away or preventing from having something that is needed

Winning and losing

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There are many words for a decisive victory. For example, if a team wins 5 – 0, writers may say the team trounced (or overwhelmed, battered, hammered, thrashed) the other side. If, however, the game was very close, with one side winning by a single goal, they might say the victor eked out a victory or it edged the other side.

All losses are setbacks, but narrow losses can be heartbreaking, or even demoralising, causing a team to temporarily lose hope or spirit. On the other hand, when a team comes back from the brink of defeat to salvage a draw, it is often seen as a morale booster. The same is true during the match itself as a team gradually whittles away an opponent’s lead to get back into the match. An impressive goal can turn the tide and turn a defeat into  victory.

The team we expect to win is said to be favoured or fancied. The team expected to lose is called the underdog. When an underdog beats a favourite, the result is said to be an upset. If a team is actually better than was generally thought, it may be described as underrated.

trounced – defeated easily or by a large score
overwhelmed – overpowered; won decisively
battered – won by a large score, especially in a very physical way
hammered – battered; overwhelmed
thrashed – defeated easily; trounced; hammered
eked out a victory – won with difficulty by a very small margin
edged – won by a small margin
setback – something that reverses or delays progress you have made; disappointment
heartbreaking – causing you to feel extremely sad and upset
demoralizing – causing a loss of confidence; causing you to lose hope or want to give up
brink - edge
salvage – to manage to get something useful from a situation so that it is not a complete failure
morale booster – something that increases your confidence and cheerfulness
whittle away – to gradually reduce or make smaller
get back into the match – to have a chance of winning again after falling far behind
turn the tide – to change the game in a way that one side starts to gain an advantage over the other
favoured – expected to win
fancied – favoured; expected to win
underdog – a team or player that is not expected to win
upset – an unexpected win or loss
underrated – not given enough credit or respect

It’s a GOOOOAAAAAAAL!!!

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You probably already know all the basic goal-scoring methods like the volley, drive, header, bicycle kick, and penalty kick. But did you know there are hundreds of ways of describing them?

Let’s start with the most powerful, the drives. These are often called thunderbolts or blasts because they happen so quickly. Great strikers can hit drives that are so ferocious that they seem to generate great heat, i.e., they are described as sizzling or blistering. When they score, the ball gets buried in the net and when they miss, it whistles past the post.

The most exciting goals have a lot of action, a diving header from a perfect cross, for example. Or a striker who goes on a solo run, eluding opponents, penetrating the defence, wrong-footing the goalkeeper and slotting the ball into the empty net.

Balls seldom follow a straight path. Skilful players can curl or swerve them around a wall. More often, balls are deflected as they bounce off opponents or ricochet off the woodwork. Almost anything can happen in the goalmouth melees that occur throughout the game.

The goalkeepers have to have amazing reflexes as they parry close-range shots or turn away thunderous drives at full stretch. Some of their best saves almost seem miraculous.

Deception plays a part in many goals. Strikers drift around aimlessly, lulling their opponents to sleep, until the opportunity comes to sneak or slip past the defenders for a quick strike. Or they hover around the goal until a loose ball suddenly appears.

Finally, many goals are caused by defensive lapses. Defenders commit blunders or miscues like failing to clear a ball in front of the net or leaving a striker unmarked. Sometimes, however, it is just bad luck, like when a ball is deflected off a defender into his own goal.

volley – kicking or hitting the ball before it touches the ground
drive – a very powerful shot at the goal
header – hitting the ball with your head
bicycle kick – a kick backwards over your head
penalty kick – a free kick taken after someone has been fouled
thunderbolt – a very sudden and powerful shot
blast – a very powerful shot, like an explosion
ferocious – with violent force
sizzling – extremely fast and powerful, seemingly moving through the air with a hissing sound
blistering – done with great speed or force
buried – kicked in the deep part of the net
whistle – to move with great speed, seemingly fast enough to cause a whistling sound like a passing bullet
diving – jumping with your body extended like a dive far out into a pool
cross – the kicking or the ball from the side of the field to a player in the centre, usually in front of the goal
eluding – escaping from; avoiding
penetrating – getting through
wrong-footing – causing someone to lose their balance
slotting – kicking the ball into the goal from the area right in front of the goal
curl – to kick the ball so that it curves instead of goes straight
swerve – to change direction suddenly
deflected – to cause to change direction, especially because of hitting something
bounce off – (of the ball) to move quickly away from a surface that it has just hit
ricochet – to hit a surface and come of it fast at a different angle
woodwork – the wooden structure that holds the net
melee – a situation where players are crowded together and pushing against
reflexes – natural movements of your body in response to something
parry – to defend against an attack
thunderous – very powerful
at full stretch – with your body full extended
miraculous – impossible to believe
deception – deliberately tricking someone
drift – to move slowly from one place to another
aimlessly – having no direction or purpose
lulling – causing your opponents to feel too relaxed and confident so that you can surprise them
sneak – moving while trying to avoid being seen
slip – to quickly without being noticed
hover – to stay close to
lapse – a mistake, especially one caused by being careless or forgetting about something
blunder – a mistake
miscue – a poor kick or a small mistake
clear – to kick away from the goal area
unmarked - undefended

Final note

I am continually adding to my list of "World Cup English" words and phrases and so should you. Try to spend about 15 or 20 minutes a day with the English coverage of the buildup to the competition and the competition itself and you will find yourself reading like a champion in no time. And don’t miss our coverage right here in this website.

Typical World Cup stories

 

It is still a little early for the heavy coverage of the 2006 World Cup to begin, so let’s start instead with a look back to the previous competitions to see what kind of stories we can expect.

1. Before and after 

One fun activity is to look at the stories the morning of an important game and the day after. The stories before the match will be full of expectations and predictions. Check to see how accurate they are by reading the reports the next day. Here’s an example from the opening day of the 1998 World Cup:

 

Wednesday, June 10, 1998

(To hear this and all other story exerpts on this page, click on the headphone symbol)

Brazil , Scots kick off World Cup  

Paris, Reuters

 
Brazil , defending world champions, and Scotland , eternal underachievers, kick off the World Cup today and aim to break the tradition of dull opening games.

    In Ronaldo and company, Brazil have just the side to buck the trend.

    Goals and excitement tend to be thin on the ground when soccer’s top competition begins but Scotland ’s promise to attack and Brazil ’s eagerness to answer their critics at home provide some hope for early fireworks.

    Nobody can predict what is going to happen but we intend to do the best possible,” said Brazil ’s wily veteran coach Mario Zagallo. “Rules are there to be broken.”

defending champions – the champions of the last competion
eternal underachiever – someone who always fails to do as well as he is able
dull – boring; uninteresting
buck the trend – to go against what is normal
fireworks – excitement
wily – clever
veteran – someone with long experience

Charlton: Scots could cause upset

Paris, AFP

Former England great Sir Bobby Charlton tipped Scotland to pull off the first major upset of the World Cup by beating Brazil in the opening match today.

    Charlton, who was in England ’s 1966 World Cup-winning side, said that Brazil were under a lot of pressure to perform and could crumble.

    “ Brazil are favourites – they play together so often that they are almost like a club side,” said Charlton yesterday. “But there is a lot of expectation that they will do well and they will be under pressure in the first game.

    “The Scots are a disciplined team with a lot of skilful players. Brazil need to perform well and the Scots could capitalise on that.”

tipped - predicted
crumble – to fall apart
disciplined – behaving in a controlled way
capitalise on – to take advantage of

Thursday, June 11(the day after the match)

 

Scottish heartbreak as they fall to Brazil

Sunk by an own goal in entertaining game

It was heartbreak for a courageous Scottish defence when they were beaten 2 - 1 by Brazil in their World Cup opener here yesterday at Stade de France.

    Just when it looked as if the Scots might manage a draw with the defending world champions, they were hit by the cruellest of blows.

    Seventeen minutes from time Denilson, brought on only minutes earlier to replace Brazil ’s 1994 World Cup hero Bebeto, tried to lob Scottish goalkeeper Jim Leighton.

    The ball bounced off Leighton’s face, but it went straight at Tommy Boyd who was running back into the six yard area.

    Unable to stop himself, he could only look on in horror as the ball deflected off his shoulder, past a helpless Leighton, and into the goal despite a desperate diving lunge from captain Colin Hendry.

courageous – very brave
draw – a match ending with the score equal, e.g., 1-1, 3-3, etc.
cruellest blow – a very bad and damaging event
lob – a high, soft kick over an opponent
deflected – caused to change direction by hitting something
lunge – a sudden forward movement
 

2. Winning and losing

Newspaper coverage of the World Cup is not just about what happens on the field. Many stories originate from what happens off the field as well. As the competition builds towards its climax, we see more and more stories about how the fans in the various countries react to their teams’ results. Here are some examples from the 2002 World Cup.

From the first two excerpts below, it looks like the joy associated with winning is quite universal.

Joy

`Korea-mania' scales new heights

Seoul – South Korea 's mass hysteria at the World Cup has scaled new heights with the team reaching the last eight and ``Korea-mania'' has earned a special place in the 72-year-old history of the tournament.

    Hundreds of thousands of people, most of them teenagers or under 25, ran screaming through the capital after the golden goal winner from Ahn Jung-hwan in the 2-1 upset of Italy on Tuesday.

    Up to four million people, most dressed in red T-shirts and headbands, had taken to the streets to watch the match on huge television screens erected in squares across the country.

    Fanatical home fans have been a characteristic of previous World Cups. But throughout the first tournament to be held in Asia , fans watching these screens have created an atmosphere of fevered excitement usually associated with teenage pop bands.

    There has been a curious discipline amid the madness. Hooliganism, a problem at previous World Cups, was nowhere in sight on Tuesday night. Alcohol was available but few people were drinking to excess. – REUTERS

 

mass hysteria – a situation in which a large number of people become extremely excited and emotional
mania – an extremely strong desire or enthusiasm for something
fanatical – extremely enthusiastic
hooliganism – noisy and violent behaviour in a public place

 

 
Turkish delight knows no bounds throughout country

 
TURKEY'S cities erupted in joy yesterday as fans poured into the streets and squares to celebrate their soccer team's 1-0 win over Japan, which sent the Turks into their first-ever World Cup quarter-finals.

    Seconds after the final whistle blew, Istanbul ’s streets were a riot of colour – red and white, the national team’s colours – and sound. Waving flags and brandishing red flares, fans congregated in central Taksim square – and, it seemed, every other open space in this city of 12 million.

    During the match – which brought the country to a standstill, with government and private business postponed – the city was eerily silent.

    It soon wasn't. Cars, blaring their horns, circled the streets of the city centre, with fans leaning out of the windows waving flags and shouting.– AP

erupted – began suddenly
brandishing – holding
eerily – strangely; mysteriously and frightening

 

Coping with a loss

 
The fan reaction to a loss can be quite varied. Notice, for example, how differently Japanese and Italian fans responded to the exits of their teams from the tournament.

Requiem for Japan ’s shattered dream

Tokyo –  Japan applauded its boys in blue yesterday for a gallant World Cup performance that brought a ray of sunshine to the gloomy land.

    But there was no denying the tinge of envy of South Korea 's success and the dismay about a shattered dream.

    Still, Japan 's media and fans lauded the team and French coach Phillipe Troussier for exceeding expectations and erasing the dismal memory of Japan 's World Cup debut four years ago, when they suffered three losses and scored only one goal.

    The bitter past and present mistrust which haunts the two Asian co-hosts means some fans have watched their rival’s performance with mixed emotions, especially in South Korea where memories of Japan 's harsh 1910-1945 colonial rule run deep.

    But while some older Japanese said their home team's defeat was all the more bitter because of South Korea's victory, other younger fans did not begrudge their co-hosts their success.

    Crowds of youthful Japanese supporters joined ethnic Korean residents in their celebrations in Tokyo late on Tuesday, hugging, crying and chanting ``Ni-ppon, Ko-re-a, Ni-ppon, Ko-re-a'' in a display of encouraging co-host camaraderie. – REUTERS

applauded – praised; lauded
gallant - brave and honourable
gloomy - unhappy
dismay – a strong feeling of sadness or confusion caused by something unpleasant and unexpected
shattered – broken
dismal - very bad
debut - first appearance  
tinge of envy – a slight and unpleasant feeling of wanting something someone else has
haunt – to regularly cause problems over a long period of time
begrudge – to feel unhappy that someone else has something
camaraderie – a feeling of friendship and trust

Stunned Italians say `death to ref' after loss

ROME – Dismay, disbelief, anger and tears – Italy took their World Cup defeat against South Korea like a slap on the face yesterday and blamed the Ecuadorean referee for their shock exit.

    ``Death to the referee,'' chanted hundreds of Italian supporters gathered in central Rome to watch the game on a giant television screen.

    ``Frankly, that was complete robbery,'' Bruno Pizzul, Italy 's most famous commentator told state television RAI immediately after the game.

    Franco Frattini, Italy 's minister for public offices, said: ``The referee was a disgrace, absolutely scandalous. I've never seen a game like it. It seemed as if they just sat around a table and decided to throw us out.''

    People watching the game across the country in squares, bars and offices, hugged and consoled each other in stunned silence.

    Many cried, tears streaming down their cheeks in the boiling summer sun as the Italian players trailed off the field. – REUTERS

disgrace – a shameful happening
scandalous – shocking and unacceptable
consoled – comforted
stunned - shocked