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World Cup English
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July 13, 2006

World Cup English 

wcgraphicIf you are one of the billions of people around the globe who have been watching the World Cup matches on television, this has been a wonderful chance for you to have some fun and learn a lot of English at the same time. First you have been able to see what actually happened and then you have been able to read about what you have just seen. And if you haven't seen the action, you can get the official game highlights right here on the Internet.

If you want some background before you begin the lesson material below, check out World Cup English which we featured on this website last month. There you will find much of the basic vocabulary that you will see in this year's press coverage of the event. You'll also learn about the types of stories you will see. Everything has been recorded as mp3 soundfiles, so you can listen as you read.

Zidane speaks (July 13)

See Zidane to break his silence, front secion, back page

hbuttAlthough the World Cup is now over, there is still intense interest in what provoked French star Zinedine Zidane to headbutt Italian defender Marco Materazzi before billions of people watching on television. Last night it was Zidane's chance to tell his side of the story.

The Bangkok Post's story this morning was written before he went on television.  Fortunately, we can turn to the Bangkok Post's website to see what he ended up saying. Let's first look at the opening section of the paper edition's story because it contains some useful language and content.

First notice that the story refers to the future by using the present tense — a very common way of doing so. As for content,when the story was written, we already knew that Materazzi had admitted to insulting the French star, but we weren't sure exactly what he said. There were plenty of rumours, however. What was one of them? What did the Italian defender say in response to that rumour?

intense – very strong
provoked – caused a reaction (noun form – provocation)
head-butt – to hit someone with the top of your head
insulting - saying something that is rude and offensive
rumours – pieces of information that may or may not be true, but which many people are talking about

audioYou can  hear this story by clicking here.

Zidane is to break his silence (Bangkok Post paper edition)

Paris — French football skipper Zinedine Zidane is to give his version of the notorious World Cup final head-butt in an appearance on Canal Plus television later last night.

In a live interview to be broadcast at 8pm local time, Zidane is expected to explain the nature of the slur hurled at him before Sunday’s incident by Italian player Marco Materazzi.

DefenderMaterazzi,who was knocked to the ground by the extra-time butt to the chest, has acknowledged that he insulted Zidane — but denied that he called him a terrorist or impugned his mother.

‘‘It was an insult of the kind you will hear dozens of times and that just slips out on the ground,’’ Materazzi told La Gazzetta dello Sport on Tuesday.

However lip-readers consulted by British newspapers concluded that Materazzi called Zidane the ‘‘son of a terrorist whore.’’ AFP

skipper – captain
notorious – famous in a bad way
slur – an insulting remark which can damage a person's reputation
hurled - thrown
impugned – said that someone was not honourable or honest
lip-readers - people who are trained to be able to see what someone is saying by looking at their lips
whore - a prostitute

Now let's find out what Zidane said on television last night. Did he confirm what Materazzi had said or did he imply that the rumoured version was the true one? Did Zidane admit that he had made a mistake or did he defiantly refuse to accept that he had done anything wrong? Zidane made an interesting observation on current rules about giving out red cards. What was it? Do you agree with him?

imply - to say indirectly 
defiantly – firmly refusing to accept someone

audioYou can  hear this story by clicking here.

Zidane regrets, defends headbutt (Bangkok Post Internet edition)

zizou4Paris (dpa) - Retiring French football star Zinedine Zidane said he was sorry for head-butting Italian defender Marco Materazzi in the World Cup final, but did not regret the act, which caused him to be tossed out of the match.

Zidane, who was named best player of the tournament, said he had reacted after being insulted by Materazzi with "very hard words."

"I apologise to all the children who saw that. It was not the thing to do," Zidane told Canal Plus television.

But he added that he did not regret what he did.

"To regret what I did would be to say that he was right for saying what he said, and he was not right," Zidane said.

Although he did not repeat what Materazzi had said to him, Zidane said it had to do with his sister and his mother.

"These were very personal things," Zidane said. "They had to do with my mother, my sister. He said words that were very hard, and he repeated them several times. You listen once, and you try to go away. That's what I did. You hear it a second time, and then a third time."

He said he regretted doing what he did before "billions of spectators and millions of children," but also criticised the rules of football for sanctioning the players who react but not those who provoke the reactions.

"If there is no provocation, then there is no reaction," Zidane said. "What I did was unforgivable, but the real guilty one must be punished and that is the one who provokes."

Zidane was tossed out of the match, which Italy won in a penalty shoot-out, after he head-butted Materazzi in the chest in the 110th minute of the match.

retiring - ending a career
regret - to feel sorry for doing something
sanctioning
– punishing
July 11, 2006

World Cup Review

As we have seen throughout the World Cup tournament, some of the best writing in the newspaper is found on the sports pages. There is much there even a non-sports fan can enjoy. This story is a good example. I think you will find it interesting. It is full of praise for hosts Germany, but it is quite negative when it comes to the football that was played. Read it and see if you agree with its conclusions.

audioYou can hear the first part of this story by clicking here.


Great World Cup, (it's a) shame about the football

Berlin (Reuters) — Italy’s penalty shootout victory over France in a dramatic finish to the World Cup in Germany ended a great tournament, marred only by the action on the pitch.

The World Cup was almost flawlessly organised, attracted great crowds and inspired a carnival atmosphere which turned Germany into one big party zone.

The Germans even got to grips with soccer’s persistent problem with hooliganism, handling the large visiting supporter groups, especially those from England, with great aplomb and allowing everyone to enjoy themselves without fear of violence.

For once, the fans actually behaved far better than the players.

On the pitch, there were too few goals, too few great matches, too few great players, too few upsets and too little goalmouth action.

redcardThere were too many fouls and too much blatant cheating by players — in particular diving and feigning injury to earn unfair free kicks all
unchecked and sometimes even encouraged by coaches.

For once, nobody could blame the match officials. The refereeing was of a surprisingly high standard, even if there were the inevitable mistakes here and there.

The lack of thrills in most matches was mainly caused by the unadventurous attitudes of coaches, many of whom packed their midfields and played with a lone striker up front.


marred – damaged; spoiled
the pitch – the playing field
flawlessly – without mistakes; perfectly
got to grips with – took action to deal with a problem
persistent – continuing to happen or exist for a long time
hooliganism – noisy and violent behaviour in public places
aplomb – relaxed confidence and skill
upsets – unexpected results in which teams thought to be more powerful lose to a teams thought to be weaker
blatant – done in an obvious and open way
diving – deliberately falling to the ground
feigning – pretending
unchecked – not controlled or limited
inevitable – that which is certain to happen
thrills – exciting experiences or events


audioYou can hear the second part of this story by clicking here.


On average the tournament produced fewer goals per game than any other of the 17 previous finals, except for 1990 in Italy, a tournament widely regarded as oneof the dullest ever.

ronaldinhoAs in Italy — and also in England in 1966, another tournament with a reputation for relatively insipid play — one problem was the premature exit of the Brazilians.Brazil traditionally bring flair and flamboyance

This time they did not. Their big name players all failed to sparkle and, as a team, they completely failed to provide even half their usual quota of entertainment. Most disappointing of all was Ronaldinho, who came with the reputation of being the world’s best player but was almost anonymous in Brazil’s five matches.
 
Equally anonymous was England midfielder Frank Lampard, a player who has gained huge plaudits over the past two years and who did nothing to justify it in Germany.
to the World Cup.

dullest – least interesting or most boring
insipid – dull and boring
premature – earlier than usual; earlier than expected
flair – doing things in an original, interesting and stylish way
flamboyance – being very noticeable, stylish and exciting
sparkle – to perform in a lively and impressive way
anonymous – unnoticed (anonymous normally means to be unnamed)
plaudits – expressions of praise and admiration


audioYou can hear the final part of this story by clicking here.


yougFew young players emerged to take their place at the summit of world football.

In the final, Italy’s youngest player lining up at the start was Andrea Pirlo, who is already 27. France had only one player under 26, midfielder Franck Ribery, at 23 one of the few revelations of the tournament.

Of the much-vaunted youthful talents of Argentina’s Lionel Messi and England’s Wayne Rooney, there was little to see — though both had suffered serious injuries before the finals.

Argentina graced the finals early on with some scintillating soccer but paid the price for lack of adventure against Germany and went out on penalties at the quarter-final stage.

zizouItaly and France arrived in the final deservedly and Italy played some of the best football of the entire month when they beat Germany 2-0 after extra time in the semi-finals.

But the final itself was a mirror of the tournament, starting with great promise but ending in disappointment. It was a sad farewell for Zinedine Zidane, one of the few players ever to attain genius level, who was ending his glorious career on the greatest stage of all. He graced it by scoring an audacious penalty off the crossbar and then finished in disgrace, butting Italy’s goalscorer Marco Materazzi in extra time and getting sent off.

On the bright side, Germany turned out to be splendid hosts who did their best to make their guests from all round the world welcome.

emerged – became known or noticed
revelations – surprising discoveries
vaunted – praised more than is deserved
graced – made more attractive or of higher quality
scintillating – lively and interesting
deservedly – well earned
mirror – to have very similar features to something else and therefore seeming to be a copy of it
attain – to achieve
audacious – brave but risky
in disgrace – not worthy of respect because of something bad you have done
butting – hitting with the top of your head
 

July 10, 2006

Day 31: Italy wins the World Cup

The 2006 World Cup is now history and the champion is Italy. The final was a dramatic one and you can read about in the match report below. If you have been following World Cup English since the beginning, this story will be very easy for you to read. If not, you still have some time to build up your football-related English since we will keep the material up on the Internet for another week or two.

audioYou can hear the first part of this story here.

italcupItaly crowned world champions after penalty win over France

Italy are the new world champions after a dramatic penalty shootout win over France after the match finished 1-1 after extra-time in Berlin on Sunday.

A pulsating match came down to spotkicks and was decided when David Trezeguet missed the second kick allowing Italy to run out 5-3 winners as they potted five out of five.

Andrea Pirlo, Marco Materazzi who scored the equaliser, Daniele Da Rossi, Alessandro Del Piero and Fabio Grosso all scored from 12 yards out to send the Italians into celebration and the French into mourning.

The match was marred when Zinedine Zidane finished his career in controversy after being sent-off in second half extra-time for headbutting Marco Materazzi which the linesman spotted and relayed the message to the referee.

It was a disappointing way for the former world player of the year to finish his career after being tipped as a legend to lie alongside the likes of Pele and Maradona.

An emotional Lippi paid tribute to his players after the victory.

"I just want to say thank you to them," he said. "They gave absolutely everything they had. It is just a fantastic feeling, it is something that you can only get in this job.

"It is so much more than winning the Champions League or winning the Championship. It means we are world champions."


pulsating – exciting; featuring strong, regular movements
equaliser – a goal that evens the match, i.e., it gives both teams the same score
mourning – expressing great sadness, usually over the death of a person, but in this case a defeat in the World Cup final
marred – spoiled or damaged
controversy – causing disagreement
heatbutting – hitting someone with your head
spotted – saw
relayed – sent on
tipped – believed to be able to achieve something
legend – very famous and much admired
paid tribute to – praised  


audioYou can hear the second part of this story here.


An entertaining opening 45 minutes saw Italy begin to get on top in front of a packed 69,000-crowd at Berlin's Olympic Stadium.

France took the lead in extraordinary circumstances after only seven minutes. Florent Malouda raced into the Italian area and was clipped at pace by centre-half Materazzi and sent flying.

Replays appeared to indicate there had been minimal contact and though Materazzi was clearly pulling out of the challenge, Argentinian referee Horacio Elizondo pointed immediately to the spot.

But there was more drama when Zidane stepped up to take the penalty. The Real Madrid star normally prefers to bury his spot-kicks low and wide but this time he opted to float a delicate dink down the middle.

Zidane's audacity nearly backfired however when his shot beat Gianluigi Buffon but crashed back off the underside of the bar.

Italy scrambled a clearance, but Elizondo had a clear view of the ball coming down well over the line and the goal stood.


extraordinary circumstances – very unusual conditions
clipped – hit on the side
at pace – at high speed
minimal – very little
contact – touching
pulling out of the challenge – moving away from the contact
the spot – the place where penalty kicks are taken
bury – to kick deep into the net
opted – chose
delicate – done carefully
dink – a soft hit
audacity – brave, but risky behaviour
backfired – had the opposite result as the one intended
scrambled – moved quickly
clearance – kicking the ball away from the goal and out of danger
the goal stood – the goal remained, i.e., the decision was not changed    


audioYou can hear the final part of this story here.


italheadThe Italians demonstrated their character by recovering their composure superbly and began to control the ball in midfield, with the dogged Gennaro Gattuso and Andrea Pirlo quickly settling into their rhythm.

And on 19 minutes Italy got the equaliser their positive play deserved. Pirlo swung in a corner from the right and Materazzi leapt high above Patrick Vieira to crash home a thunderous header past French keeper Fabien Barthez.

Devastated France coach Raymond Domenech said the Italians had targeted Zidane for rough treatment.

"To see him finish his career in this way is sad. He has had a great career and a great World Cup," Domenech said.

"When one takes what he had to for 80 minutes and the referee doesn't do anything, one understands. You can't excuse it but you can understand it."


character – having the ability to deal with difficult, unpleasant and dangerous situations
recovering their composure – becoming calm and controlled again
superbly – extremely well
dogged – very determined
leapt – jumped
thunderous – very powerful
devastated – shocked and upset
rough treatment – unpleasant and forceful behaviour toward someone
take – to be forced to accept

Hero to zero

The big news story  as opposed to sport story  coming out of last night's World Cup final surrounds the inexplicable behaviour of French superstar Zinedine Zindane. In case you don't know what happened, here is the report from the Bangkok Post's website:

audioYou can hear this story here.


Zidane's career ends in a fit of madness

hbuttZinedine Zidane's career ended in high drama in the World Cup final on Sunday, the French legend scoring a penalty and then losing his temper and getting a red card for assaulting Italy defender Marco Materazzi.

After flashes of brilliance on his 108th and last cap the master midfielder had, not for the first time, a complete loss of control in the 19th minute of extra time, headbutting Materazzi 
who had levelled the match earlier  viciously in the chest after the Italian defender appeared to insult him.

zidredReferee Horacio Elizondo originally missed the incident but had no hesitation in pulling out a red card after consultation with his linesman to bring a sour and dramatic end to Zizou's glorious career.

Without their talismanic skipper France went on to lose 5-3 on penalties after the match had ended 1-1.

Zidane, whose petulance already saw him suspended for France's last group game against Togo, trudged off to the dressing room, hurling his sweat band down in frustration as he became the fourth player ever to be redcarded in the final.



inexplicable – unable to be explained
fit of madness – a short period of uncontrolled crazy behaviour
high drama – high excitement or high anxiety
losing his temper – getting very angry, becoming unable to control his anger
assaulting – attacking
levelled – evened; made the score the same for both teams, in this case, 1 -1
viciously – violent and cruel
insult – to say something rude or offensive to someone
had no hesitation – had no uncertainty
consultation - discussion
sour – unpleasant; unfriendly
talismanic – bringing good luck; having magical powers
skipper – captain
petulance – behaving in an unreasonable, childish and bad tempered way
trudged off – walked off slowly with heavy steps, especially because you are tired or unhappy
hurling – throwing violently with a lot of force  

At the moment we stlll don't have an explanation from the French star for his action. There is plenty of speculation, however. Here is what Franz Beckenbauer, a former football great himself, said after the match:

audioYou can hear this story here.

Zidane must have been provoked says Beckenbauer

The World Cup chief organiser Franz Beckenbauer said on Sunday that Italy defender Marco Materazzi must have said something to provoke France's Zinedine Zidane into headbutting him in the final.

"Something must have been said to Zidane. He is actually a reserved and inoffensive person," Beckenbauer said after France lost a penalty shootout without Zidane.

Beckenbauer said Zidane's dismissal after he had headbutted Materazzi in the chest in the second period of extra-time had cost France dear.

"He weakened his team. We know how sensitive the French are when they lose their captain," said the man who won World Cups as a player and coach.

Zidane, 34, had said the final would be the last match of his career.


"It is such a pity that he is stopping and we won't see him any more," Beckenbauer said.

provoke – to deliberately annoy or anger someone and try to cause them to react aggressively
reserved – keeping your feelings hidden
inoffensive – not unpleasant or unacceptable in anyway
dismissal – removing from the match as a punishment
cost France dear – was very damaging to France

Hopefully, we'll know more by tomorrow. Watch to see if Zidane tries to justify his action or if he simply admits he was wrong and apologies.



July 09, 2006

Day 30: On to Berlin

front pageYou can see from the latest issue of the Bangkok Post where Thailand's attention is placed today. Both the front and the back page pages have a single focus: the World Cup final. Unfortunately, the match doesn't begin until about 1:00 a.m. local time, so there will be a lot of very tired people in the workplace tomorrow. 

Below is today's main story in the sports section. As you will see, weather is still a concern, but this time it's not the heat that has troubled the players for most of the tournament. 

You will also find out about the physical condition of both of the teams as well as the mood of the people in France and Italy as match-time approaches. 

audioYou can hear the first part of the story here.



Cup finalists head for rainy Berlin

back pageBerlin (AFP)—Torrential rain in Berlin yesterday hampered preparations for tonight’s World Cupfinal with the French and Italian players to arrive during the day from their respective training camps.

The downpour, which started Friday evening after days of uncustomary hot weather, forced Fifa to tell the Italians they would not as planned be able to get their first feel for the final venue at yesterday morning’s training session.

Spokesman Andreas Herren said the decision had been taken ‘‘because of the state of the pitch and because of the heavy rainfall in Berlin over the last couple of days.’’

Marcello Lippi and his men then decided to stay overnight at their Duisberg base in the west of the country and only travel to Berlin by a charter flight during yesterday evening.

Opponents France were due to fly in from their base near Hannover earlier in the day and had scheduled a training session at another stadium in Berlin later in the evening.

The heavy rain continued in the German capital yesterday morning but brighter weather was forecast for today.


torrential rain – very heavy rain; rain coming down in torrents (water falling rapidly or violently)
hampered – made more difficult
respective – belong separately to the individual people or groups you have just mentioned
downpour – a very heavy rain
uncustomary – unusual
get a feel for – to become familiar with, in this case, by having a chance to practice on the pitch
venue – a place were an event occurs
state – condition
forecast – predicted

audioYou can hear the first part of the story here.


Coach Raymond Domenech had the French squad undertake an hour-long final training session at what has been their base for the last five weeks yesterday evening.

Brazil’s conquerors have a clean bill of health for the final with only reserve striker Louis Saha unavailable due to suspension, having picked up a second yellow card after coming on as a substitute in the 1-0 semi-final win over Portugal.

Their drive to the final which has taken them from strength to strength past Spain, Brazil and Portugal has completely changed opinions back home with 86 percent of French people now convinced that their ageing team will once again win the World Cup on Sunday.

A French victory is expected to unleash massive celebrations in the capital with up to a million people converging, as they did eight years ago when France last won the World Cup, on the Champs Elysees.

Such is the growing euphoria over the team’s performance that even the Eiffel Tower is getting involved with the monument’s managers announcing that it would glitter with lights until dawn in
the case of a French victory.


conquerors – people who have defeated someone else, in this the Brazilian team
clean bill of health – everyone is healthy, i.e, no one is injured
suspension – the removal of a person from a job for a period of time
substitute – a player who replaces another player during a game
unleash – to let loose; to cause to begin
massive – very large
converging – coming together
euphoria – a feeling of intense happiness and excitement
glitter – to shine brightly
dawn – sunrise


audioYou can hear the first part of the story here.


The view from Rome was more muted with the Italian team’s World Cup triumphs tempered by the huge match-fixing scandal which has rocked the league and eroded public faith in the way the sport is run.

The Italians are also relatively injury-free with only experienced defender Alessandro Nesta, as expected, unavailable due to a groin injury.

The crucial task of marking French playmaker Zinedine Zidane will go to tigerish midfielder Gennaro Gattuso who has said that the exertions of the last few weeks could eventually catch up with the 34-year-old who will be playing in his last match before retiring.

‘‘Zidane’s 34 and he’s played every match at a high level. I hope he has little energy left in his body for the final,’’ the 28-year-old AC Milan midfielder said.


muted
– not bright or strong
triumph – victory
tempered – made less extreme
match-fixing scandal – a plan to control of the results of football matches for gambling purposes
rocked – shocked
eroded – gradually weakened
crucial – most important
marking – defending against
exertions – physical efforts

July 07, 2006

Day 28: France joins Italy

onegoal

I missed a day yesterday, but due to the time difference between Germany and Thailand, the Bangkok Post report on the France - Portugal match is in today's edition. I have reproduced it for you below.

audioYou can hear the first part of the story here.


Time to believe

Munich (Reuters)  A Zinedine Zidane penalty gave France victory in their World Cup showdown with Portugal on Wednesday and set up a final with Italy which will be the gifted playmaker's last game before retirement.

The 34-year-old took just two steps, then coolly fired his penalty into the bottom left-hand corner to score the winner in the 33rd minute and ensure he goes out right at the top.

The 1-0 semi-final victory prompted jubilation among the blue-clad French fans in Munich's futuristic Allianz Arena and across France, where fans have come to believe in a second World cup triumph to go with their first in Paris eight years ago.

Zindane's penalty came after Portugal's Ricardo Carvalho caught France striker Thierry Henry's ankle inside the box.

Italy had claimed their place in the final with two goals late in extra time on Tuesday against hosts Germany, whose attacking football and unexpected run to the last four prompted an outpouring of German patriotism unknown in the post-war era.

The hosts were still digesting their exit from the tournament as France and Portugal met on Wednesday  with one group of fans in the crowd holding up home-made letters thanking the Germany team for their efforts.

showdown – a important match
gifted – having natural ability to do something well
retirement – the ending of a career
ensure – to make sure of
go out right at the top – to retire at the highest, most successful point of your career, e.g., in the final of a World Cup
prompted - caused
jubilation – great happiness and pleasure because of a success
blue-clad – dressed in blue
futuristic – very modern and unusual, like something from the future
triumph – victory; win
ankle – the joint where your foot joins your leg
outpouring – an uncontrolled expression of an emotion
patriotism – loyalty and love for your country
post-war era – since World War II
digesting – thinking about something until you are able to accept it and deal with it; in this case, a defeat

audioYou can hear the second part of the story here.


Portugal started brightly, with Maniche and Christiano Ronaldo firing in strong early shots. But France often appeared to have just a touch more class, typified by the skills of Zidane who also inspired them to their 1998 triumph.

The midfielder, three times World Footballer of the Year, was at the heart of almost every French move, spending time on the wings and in the centre of the field, peppering his game with short and long passes and running at the Portuguese.

France also relied on a formidable defence, which has conceded only two goals in six games at this World Cup.

Domenech's side held firm under an intense bout of Portuguese pressure in stoppage time helped by their superb central defender Lilian Thuram, who was name man of the match.

The French had made a sluggish start to the month-long tournament, prompting criticism they relied too much on ageing players past their best and reviving painful memories of the last World Cup when as holders they went out in the group stage.

But their form improved dramatically in the knockout stage, transforming the mood among fans from gloom to exuberance.

We are going to win this World Cup, that's for sure," said Yohan Haouzi, a 22-year-old Parisian brandishing the national flag of red, white and blue in the French capital.

touch – a small amount
heart – centre
peppering – filling with a large amount of; in this case, of passes and runs
formidable – very great and impressive; very strong
conceded – given up
bout – a very active, but short time of something unpleasant; in this case, an opponent’s attack
stoppage time – the extra time played after a match ends with an equal score after regulation time (90 minutes)
superb – of very high quality
sluggish – moving or working much slower than you would like or is normal
reviving – bring back something from the past
holders (of the World Cup) – winners of the previous World Cup
transforming - changing
gloom – a feeling of sadness and lack of hope
July 05, 2006

Day 26: Italy goes into the finals

Italy's win over Germany was too late for the paper edition of the Bangkok Post, but that is not a problem for the website which is open 24 hours a day. Below is an excerpt from the match report which appeared soon after the match was completed.

audioYou can hear this excerpt by clicking here.


Italy reach World Cup final after Grosso's late, late show

scorersItaly shrugged off the scandal surrounding their domestic league to snatch a 2-0 semi-final extra-time win over hosts Germany and set up a meeting against either France or Portugal in Sunday's final in Berlin.

Defender Fabio Grosso (closest to camera in photo) was the hero with a goal two minutes from time in a match that was heading for penalties after 118 minutes of scoreless action.

Substitute Alessandro Del Piero (farthest from camera in photo) made the result safe when he lofted the ball over Jens Lehmann for Italy's second in the 121st minute but Germany were already on their way out by that time.

It was a devastating setback for Jurgen Klinsmann's side who felt they were destined to win while Italy can enjoy some marvellous news following the corruption scandal surrounding several top Serie A clubs which affects many of Marcello Lippi's national side.

"We came up against a very strong opponent," said the 31-year-old Del Piero.

"But we showed that we had the will power to beat them.

"I dedicate this win to Gianluca Pessotto," added del Piero, who last week flew back with team-mate Gianluca Zambrotta to see the stricken Pessotto who recently attempted suicide.

Grosso was almost lost for words at scoring in such an important match.

"I am drunk with joy, I haven't got much to say only that it is a victory for a strong group of people," said the 28-year-old Palermo defender.

The match featured few clear cut chances but when either team did manage to break through, the excellent goalkeeping of Gianluigi Buffon and Lehmann was there to keep the virgin scoreline.

shrugged off – to treat something as not being important
scandal – a situation or event that is thought to be shocking and immoral
domestic - within a country, in this case, the Serie A, Italy’s top national league
snatch – to take quickly or pull something away quickly, especially in order to steal it (in this case, it was like Italy stole the win)
substitute – replacement; a player who comes into the game in place of another player
lofted – kicked or headed the ball high into the air
devastating – very shocking, upsetting or terrible
setback – something that makes a situation worse or reverses the progress you have made
destined – certain to happen
marvelous – wonderful; very good
will power – determination; not letting anything stop you
dedicate – to do something out of respect for someone else
stricken – suffering from something such as an illness, the effects of a disaster, an unpleasant feeling, etc.
suicide – deliberately killing yourself
clear cut – very clear
virgin scoreline - 0 – 0, i.e., not yet having a goal scored

July 03, 2006

Day 24: Masterly Zizou

zizouWith the semi-finals fast appoaching, today is the time to talk about heroes. Certainly one of the biggest heroes of this and past World Cups is Zinedine Zidane of France. Here is the opening part of today's Bangkok Post story on the French star. 

audioYou can hear this part by clicking here.



Zizou — the eternal genius

Hamlin (AFP) — He was written off as past it, but Zinedine Zidane has proved them all wrong with a matchwinning display against Brazil that confirms his position as one of the greatest footballers of all time.

The masterly 34-year-old midfielder had already destroyed the South Americans in the 1998 final in Paris scoring two goals in a 3-0 win.

And he was the inspiration again in Frankfurt late Saturday eclipsing world footballer of the year Ronaldinho in midfield and gliding over the 57th minute free-kick to the unmarked Thierry Henry at the far post for him to volley in the winner.

The tributes flowed in, most tellingly from the greatest footballer of all time, Pele. ``Zidane was the magician in the game,'' the Brazilian, who also wore the No. 10 shirt, said.

``Zidane is one of the greatest players in history, a magnificent player,'' Germany's two time World Cup winner Franz Beckenbauer said on the eve of his Brazil masterpiece.

Brazil coach Carlos Alberto Parreira described the Real Madrid midfielder simply as ``a monster''.

Another Gallic icon, Michel Platini, ventured: ``Technically, I think he is the king of what's fundamental in the game: control and passing, because I don't think anyone can match him when it comes to controlling or receiving the ball.''

The Marseillais' mastery was at the core of France's charge to the title on home turf in 1998, his two bullet headers in the final earning him cult status.

``I think his two goals left an indelible mark on a whole generation,'' said Platini.

eternal – lasting forever
written off - consider to be no longer skilled enough to be useful
display – show
masterly – showing the highest level of ability and skill
inspiration – giving people a feeling of enthusiasm for doing something
eclipsing – causing someone to less important or less noticed
gliding – kicking the ball smoothly
unmarked - undefended
volley
– to kick the ball before it hits the ground
tributes – words of praise
tellingly – significantly, i.e., showing the true nature of a person or situation
magnificent – extremely good or imporessive
eve – the day before
Gallic – French
icon – symbol, in this case of a star football player
ventured – gave as an opinion
fundamental – most basic and most important
match – equal
core – centre
home turf –your home country, in this case, France
bullet – very fast and powerful
cult status – extremely popular among a particular group of people, in this case, football fans
indelible mark
– a lasting or unforgettable effect

July 02, 2006

Day 23: Red card

redcardEvery big match seems to have one or two major incidents that dominate the post-game (after game) talk. Last night's red card for English star Wayne Rooney is certainly one of those incidents.

Was the red card fair? First of all, there is some confusion about why it was given. Was it given because Rooney apparently stamped on the groin on Portuguese opponent Ricardo Carvalho after a long fight for the ball? Or was it given because Rooney shoved Manchester United teammate Cristiano Ronaldo who was urging the referee to show the red card? That is still not clear.

Interesting, much of the British press this morning are saying that Rooney acted foolishly. For example: England can not claim that Rooney's sending off was" undeserved or unfairly harsh", wrote Paul Wilson for the Observer. "Rooney's offence was hardly any more serious than David Beckham's eight years ago, but he knows the rules."

dominate – to be first in importance
stamped – put your foot down very hard on something
groin – the front part of your body between your legs
shoved - pushed
offence – the breaking or a rule or law

One person who saw things very differently, however was Tottenham Hotspur head coach, Martin Jol, a Dutchman. He gave his comments to the Sunday Times. Here is what he had to say:

audioYou can hear the following by clicking here.


MJDid England really play well enough during this tournament to deserve to be in a World Cup semi-final? Only the most one-eyed England fans could put their hands on their hearts and, without the slightest doubt, say yes. But that doesn’t alter the fact that yesterday, after giving their best performance since arriving in Germany, England went out of the competition with pride. To lose in those circumstances was a disgrace. And the biggest disgrace of all was Cristiano Ronaldo.

The key incident in the game was Wayne Rooney’s sending-off. It wasn’t even a booking. I watched the match in Holland with a hundred football-mad Dutchmen. Everybody was cheering for England and everybody felt the same.

When Rooney trampled on Ricardo Carvalho, he didn’t do it on purpose. Before that he was being impeded and should have had a foul anyway. The referee blew his whistle and paused and was thinking of what to do when Ronaldo ran over and asked him to show a card. It’s how Ronaldo always behaves, trying to influence referees, and it turns my stomach when players do that.

I thought to myself, how could he do that? You could argue that Ronaldo is playing for his country in a World Cup, so it’s okay to do anything to win. I don’t believe that. What about sporting values? Rooney is his club teammate, and judging by the way they walked out together at the start, joking, his friend. It was a double betrayal, a disaster for football.

I know everybody will be talking about Rooney but I feel sorry for him. He was not guilty. It was a sad way for one of the potential stars of the tournament to go out of his first World Cup.

one-eyed England fans – most loyal English fans
alter – change
pride – feeling proud
disgrace – something that is very bad, wrong or completely unacceptable
It wasn’t even a booking – It shouldn’t even have been a booking, i.e, a yellow card
trampled – stamped; put your foot down very hard on something
impeded – not allowed to move freely
turns my stomach – makes me very upset
betrayal – hurting someone who trusts you or how is loyal to you

Mr Jol may be right or he may be wrong, but Cristiano Ronaldo can probably expect some problems when he returns to Manchester United in a few months time. Here is what Daily Mail sportswriter Ian Gallagher had to say about the welcome he is likely to receive:

The most remarkable incident of the second period was Rooney's sending off — not helped by Ronaldo running over to the referee in a blatant attempt to get him to take action against his Manchester United colleague.

With the excellent Gary Neville and impeccable Rio Ferdinand also on the pitch, it's hard to see how Ronaldo can be assured a warm reception when he next returns to training at Carrington. If he does.

He has said he wants to join Real Madrid — as far as many English fans are concerned (not to mention Manchester United's own) that might not be a bad idea.

blatant – done in an open an obvious way
impeccable – having no faults in behaviour or appearance
reception - welcome

July 01, 2006

Day 22: Catching the atmosphere

save

The thrilling match between Germany and Argentina is getting the most attention this morning. Once again, we are seeing a lot of variety in the reporting on the match. In some cases, it is just a simple match report, but in others, the writer tries to give us a sense of the emotional atmosphere surrounding the competition. Let's look at excerpts from three different stories. Click on the headphone symbol to hear the mp3 soundfile for each excerpt.

First, here is a basic match report that gives us the essential facts about the match:

audioDeutsche Welle

The first World Cup quarter-final of 2006 between Germany and Argentina went to the wire and a penalty shoot-out after the two sides played out a 1-1 draw after extra-time. Germany won the shoot-out 4-2.
Goalkeeper Jens Lehmann was the toast of Germany as the hosts progressed into the semi-finals of the World Cup with a sensational 4-2 penalty shootout win over Argentina in Berlin on Friday.
 
With the game unsettled at 1-1 after extra-time Arsenal goalkeeper Lehmann stepped up to save spot-kicks from Roberto Ayala and Esteban Cambiasso to ensure celebration parties across Germany.
 
A rare goal from 33-year-old defender Ayala four minutes after the interval put Argentina ahead and they held the lead until the 80th minute.
 
But with the majority of the 72,000 fans driving them on Germany equalised with Miroslav Klose heading in his fifth goal of the finals.
 
Extra-time failed to separate the teams and penalties were needed to decide the tie.

went to the wire – wasn’t decided until the very end of the match
the toast of Germany – the person everyone in German is praising
hosts – the country that is organising and holding the event
sensational – so remarkable that it causes great excitement and interest
unsettled – not decided
rare – unusual; not happening often
interval – the half-time break
held the lead – were ahead in the score, in this case, 1 – 0
tie - match

In the next excerpt, the writer describes just how difficult and tiring match it was :

audioAP

Lehmann the hero in shootout

BERLIN   Racked with exhaustion, its leader hobbled by cramps and fatigue, Germany summoned its last ounces of energy.

Showing there's no end to their resourcefulness and tenacity at this World Cup, the hosts beat Argentina 4-2 in a shootout Friday after a grueling 1-1 draw. Moments after he sat on the pitch at the end of a scoreless extra time, captain Michael Ballack made a penalty kick to help dispatch an old rival  and one of the tournament's fellow glamour teams.

While Germany took advantage of Argentina backup keeper Leonardo Franco with one penalty kick after another, veteran Jens Lehmann stopped two, putting Germany in the semifinals of the World Cup.

"It's a thriller like a Hitchcock movie," Germany coach Juergen Klinsmann said. "Obviously you're the happiest person in the world if you win it, and the saddest if you lose."

The party heads to Dortmund for the semifinal Tuesday against the Italy-Ukraine quarterfinal winner, where Germany is riding a feeling of near-invincibility. The Germans, looking like world beaters after their toughest test, seek their fourth world title.

Argentina heads home exhausted, despite controlling the ball for most of the match.

racked with exhaustion – totally tired and without energy
hobbled – only able to walk with difficulty
cramps – sudden strong pains caused by a muscle suddenly contracting, especially after a long period of physical effort
fatigue – tiredness; exhaustion
summoned – made a great effort to get or use
resourcefulness – a good ability to find ways of dealing with problems
tenacity – determination; unwillingness to give up
grueling – extremely difficult and tiring
dispatch – to defeat; to kill off
rival – an opponent; a competitor
backup – a person who replaces someone else if that person can no longer do a job; substitute
veteran – a person with a lot of experience in doing a job
invincibility – unable to be defeated


In the final excerpt, the writer is even more dramatic. His opening is much like that of a short story or even a novel. 

audioSteven Goff
Washington Post Staff Writer

Germany Is Safe at Home

BERLIN, June 30  Nobody wanted to leave.

Not the 72,000 spectators at Olympic Stadium who had witnessed a badly flawed but dramatic World Cup quarterfinal.

Not the exhausted German players who had tied the game late in regulation and eventually won in a penalty kick tiebreaker to continue their charmed run toward a fourth championship.

Not the heartbroken Argentines, whose cautious tactics had mired the match but very nearly propelled them to victory.

So they all stayed inside the historic arena for a little bit longer on this gray day on the western edge of this capital city, the fans singing in full voice, the Germans doing a happy dance and several Argentines sobbing uncontrollably at the emotional end to their promising tournament.

witnessed – saw
flawed – imperfect; having mistakes
regulation (time) – the 90 minutes a football normal match last, excluding injury time and extra time
charmed – lucky, as if protected by magic
cautious – acting very carefully in order to avoid possible danger
tactics – methods
mired – caused to slow down (as if caught in mud)
propelled – pushed; moved; drove
sobbing – crying very hard

June 29, 2006

Day 20: The age angle

two starsSports writers like to have "an angle" in or a theme in their stories. One of the angles many of them have used in writing about the French team is the relatively advanced age of many of its players. Notice how  advanced age is again the theme of the excerpt of the match report below, but it is now a postive, not a negative.

audioYou can hear the excerpt by clicking here.


Les Bleus march on

Hannover (AFP)  An inspired France marshalled by Zinedine Zidane swept to a 3-1 comeback win over Spain here on Tuesday night to set up a dream World Cup quarter-final date with Brazil.

Spain took the lead with a penalty from David Villa before Frank Ribery levelled, with Patrick Vieira and Zidane finishing off a memorable night for Les Bleus.

France had promised to show her true face after making heavy weather of her opening group matches and she kept her word as Raymond Domenech's ageing side produced their prettiest football since arriving in Germany and arguably the best since he took over after Euro 2004.

Zidane said that France had been determined to show that their laboured first round showings were not a true indication of their quality.

``We're really happy as we had a great desire after a first round that wasn't too easy for us to show we had the quality to do something,'' Zidane said.

Coach Raymond Domenech could afford to joke that things had finally gone well on the night for his side of ``oldies,'' who some critics have for weeks dubbed too long in the tooth to do well at the tournament.

``We were admirable on all levels, courageous, reactive, solid, intelligent, lucid and patient,'' he insisted.

``Patrick Vieira was written off, Zizou ought not to be playing... But our little team of oldies are still in there. They may be old but they are patient,'' noted Domenech, saying that he couldn't wait for a match with Brazil. ``It's for matches like that that we are here.''

inspired - excellent
marshaled – led; organised; put together
comeback – winning after first falling behind
took the lead – went ahead in the score, in this case at 1 - 0
leveled – evened the score, in this case at 1 – 1
to show her true face – her true quality (Countries are often described as being women)
making heavy weather – having a difficult time
kept her word – did what she had promised
arguably – you could reasonable argue or have the opinion
laboured - difficult
indication – sign or example
dubbed – given the name or term
long in the tooth – (informal) old
admirable - worthy of praise

courageous – brave
reactive – able to react or adjust quickly or effectively
lucid – clear-headed
patient – calm and able to wait without getting worried or annoyed
written off - consider to be no longer skilled enough to be useful 


June 28, 2006

Day 19: Ronaldo's historic goal

RonaldoI only have time for a short one today, so let's look at a description of Ronaldo's fifteenth World Cup goal that came in Brazil's 3 - 0 victory over Ghana yesterday. That put the Brazilian striker one ahead of Germany's Gerd Mueller as the all-time top World Cup scorer.

audioYou can hear the goal description here.


Ronaldo scored the historic goal with a spectacular solo effort in the fifth minute, racing past Ghana's defence for a pass from Kaka that set him up alone against Ghana goalkeeper Richard Kingson.

The 29-year-old Real Madrid forward faked right then used his trademark stepover move to switch left, leaving the goalkeeper sprawled behind him as he flicked the ball into the net ahead of defender John Pantsil.—AFP

spectacular – very impressive or dramatic
solo – done alone
faked right – pretended to go right
trademark – characteristic or typical of someone or something, in this case, typical of a move by Ronaldo
sprawled – lying with your arms legs spread out
flicked – kicked with a short, sudden movement
June 27, 2006

Day 18: The view from Australia

By now I think I have seen the foul that led to Francesco Totti's winning penalty kick against Australia at least ten times and I'm sure you have to0. Some people think the referee's decision against Soceroo defender Lucas Neill was reasonable; others think it was awful. Let's take a look at what three major Australian newspapers wrote this morning. You can probably guess what they are say.

Click on the headphone symbol to hear each part.

audioThe Age

aussie penaltyThe Socceroos are out because of a woeful refereeing decision, but they are not the only team to claim that. Cantalejo, the same man who adjudicated the play-off against Uruguay in Sydney, was sucked in by a piece of amateur theatrics from Italian fullback Fabio Grosso in the 92nd minute. Lucas Neill, one of Australia's best, got in a tangle at the byline, but there was only minimal contact. Cantalejo saw what no one else did, and pointed to the spot. Substitute Francesco Totti took the burden, and delivered the penalty to decide the match. There wasn't even time for a kick-off.

woeful – very bad
adjudicated – judged, i.e., was the referee
was sucked in – was deceived; was tricked; was fooled
theatrics – behaviour that is exaggerated in order to gain attention
tangle – twisted together
minimal – very little; the least amount possible
burden
- responsibility

audioSydney Morning Herald

It was the cruellest way to exit what had been an heroic ride for the Socceroos.

It took a dubious penalty in the 94th minute - when Australia's Lucas Neill was adjudged to have taken down Italy's Fabio Grosso 
right in front of the goal mouth.

With seconds remaining in the game, Francesco Totti coolly slotted home the penalty as the Australian players protested to the referee and rubbed their hands in disbelief.

This is how our World Cup adventure ended just before 3am, Sydney time, today.

dubious – creating doubt and uncertainty; not completely reliable


audioThe Australian

How could it end like this? In tears. The Socceroos were on their way to a World Cup quarter-final overnight after dominating three-time world champion Italy when a controversial decision by Spanish referee Luis Medina Cantalejo cruelly decimated the hopes of a nation.

With one minute to go and Italy 
down to 10 men  on the ropes, Cantalejo ruled that Lucas Neill, who played one of the greatest games in Socceroos history, had brought down Italy's Fabio Grosso in the box.

The Australians protested that Neill merely slid in front of Grosso, who then dived.

But with the last kick of the game, fading star Francesco Totti 
who was left out of Italy's starting team  stepped up to put Italy, some would say undeservedly, into the last eight.

dominating – controlling
controversial – creating disagreement
decimated – destroyed completely
on the ropes – in trouble; in danger of being defeated
dived – deliberately fell to the ground
undeservedly
– not received because of anything they achieved or earned

June 26, 2006

Day 17: Beckham scores for England

becksI think it is safe to say that most Thais are supporting England, a product of the huge television coverage the English Premiership gets here. I would also imagine that most local fans are happy this morning, but also a bit worried. They are happy because England is safely into the quarter-final round after last night's victory over Ecuador, but they are also worried because of less-than-impressive way it was done.

I watched the match last night myself and I came away with these impressions:

1. England looked very disorganised on the attack and had great difficulty getting the ball to Wayne Rooney. He, however, played very well.

2. England was very lucky not be be a goal down in the first half when Carlos Tenorio was late in taking a opportunity in front of England's goal. That allowed Ashley Cole to deflect the ball onto the bar.

3. England weakened noticeably after Beckham's goal, probably as a result of the heat and humidity. If Ecuador had scored, I think England would have been in deep trouble.

Below is the AFP story published by the Bangkok Post this morning. Did the writer have similar observations?

audioYou can hear the part of the story by clicking here.


Beckham bends it

Stuttgart (AFP)  England captain David Beckham fired his team into the World Cup quarter-finals, scoring the only goal in a 1-0 victory over Ecuador here yesterday.

Beckham curled in a trademark freekick on 60 minutes to become the first Englishman to score goals in three World Cups and set up a last eight showdown with Portugal next Saturday.

But the Real Madrid star's first international goal for 13 matches could not mask another lacklustre display from England, who again looked vulnerable at set-pieces and struggle to click in hot, humid conditions at the Gottlieb-Daimler Stadion.

Manager Sven-Goran Eriksson's decision to unveil yet another new-look line-up fell some way short of being a resounding success, with Tottenham midfielder Michael Carrick unconvincing in the midfield hold role.

England also looked desperately bereft of penetration in attack, where too often Wayne Rooney was forced to chase lost causes in his unfamiliar role as the lone striker in a 4-1-4-1 formation.

On the odd occasions where England did threaten, poor finishing let them down, with out-of-form Frank Lampard missing a golden opportunity to kill the game on 73 minutes when he blazed over after a superb cut-back from Rooney.

deflect – to cause to go in a slightly different direction, especially by hitting or blocking it
showdown – a important match
curled - curved
trademark – characteristic or typical of someone or something, in this case, typical of David Beckham who is famous for his bending free kicks
mask – hide
lacklustre – lacking energy; not exciting
vulnerable -  weak; without protection
click – to work well together
unveil – to show for the first time
resounding – (of a success) very great
desperately – very badly
bereft of – lacking; not having
penetration – the ability to break through an opponents’ defence
lost causes – things that are impossible to do or succeed in, in this case, poor passes
out-of-form – not playing as well as usual
superb – excellent; of very high quality

audioYou can hear the part of the story by clicking here.


Beckham said he was delighted to have silenced his critics.

"I have been struggling in training and Wazza (Wayne Rooney) said to me before the match, "You have been terrible for the past two days so you are going to get one tonight'.

"And I got a text message from (Real Madrid teammate) Roberto Carlos saying 'score me a freekick'. It brought me good luck," Beckham said.

He said he believed England would improve as the tournament went on.

"We're in the quarter-finals and we haven't performed as well as we can do. It will come."

Beckham admitted he had been physically sick shortly after scoring the crucial goal.

"I did not feel well before the game but then I was fine in the first half. In the second half it just came out."

Eriksson said he was happy with his tactics.

"I think it worked. We should have scored more goals but I'm rather happy we're in the quarter-finals again and I hope we have a different result than last time" when England lost to eventual winners Brazil.

A lifeless opening 45 minutes say England fail to create a single meaningful attempt on goal, two tame shots by Lampard and Rooney both easily saved by Ecuador goalkeeper Cristian Mora.

Better finishing from Ecuador striker Carlos Tenorio should have seen the South Americans take the lead on 11 minutes after a dreadful defensive blunder by England centre-half John Terry.

Terry slipped and mis-hit a backheader to Tenorio, who raced clear with only Paul Robinson to beat.

But with the England keeper at his mercy Tenorio took just a fraction too long and his shot was deflected onto the bar courtesy of a superb sliding cover tackle from left back Ashley Cole.

tactics – methods used in order to achieve your aim
eventual – happening at the end of a process or a period of time
tame – weak
dreadful – very bad
blunder – a mistake
at his mercy – in a position to be unable to defend against
fraction – a very short period of time
courtesy of – because of; through

June 25, 2006

Day 16: Wonder goal

It took about two weeks for the first teams to be eliminated from the tournament, but now they will be leaving just about every day. This is the knockout stage and if you lose, you're out. Yesterday, it was Mexico's turn to leave thanks to a "wonder goal" from Argentina's Maxi Rodriguez in extra time that gave his team a 2 - 1 victory. If you haven't seen it, check out the official game highlights above and then read below to see how that goal has been described by various sports journalists. 

maxiLet's first breakdown the goal into its parts:

(1) Juan Pablo Sorin sent in a cross to Rodriguez

(2) Rodriguez controlled the pass with his chest

(3) He kicked the ball with his left foot before it hit the ground.

(4) The goal went about 20 metres past the goalkeeper and into the top corner of the net. 

Watch to see the various ways the writers described each part.

audioYou can hear the following by clicking here.


Reuters

Rodriguez struck eight minutes into extra time, controlling a cross-field pass with his chest and then hammering a superb, diagonal left-foot volley past Mexican goalkeeper Oswaldo Sanchez from 20 metres.

BBC

Rodriguez brilliantly teed himself up by chesting a Sorin cross-field pass and then unleashed a left-foot volley past Sanchez's despairing dive and into the top corner. 

The Sun

Rodriguez lit up the Zentralstadion with an absolute corker eight minutes into extra-time.

He chested down Juan Pablo Sorin's cross and volleyed a first-time left-footed effort beyond Oswaldo Sanchez into the far corner.

Amy Lawrence, The Observer

Juan Pablo Sorin's lofted cross found Rodriguez on the right edge of the area. Taming the ball with his chest, he arced a dramatically dipping volley into the top corner of the Mexico net that had been guarded with admirable authority.

Steven Goff, Washington Post

At first the situation appeared innocuous, but Rodriguez calmly absorbed a cross-field pass with his chest and let the ball drop into his path, rocketing an angled 22-yard shot over leaping goalkeeper Oswaldo Sanchez and into the far upper corner for his third goal of the tournament.

"It could have gone into the stands just as easily as it could have gone into the net, but it just happened to go into the net," said Rodriguez, a 25-year-old midfielder for Atletico Madrid. "That's the way it is."

hammering – kicking with great power (as if you hit the ball with a hammer)
superb – excellent; of very high quality
diagonal – moving at an angle in a sloping direction like from one corner of a square across to the corner on the opposite side
volley – kicking the ball before it hits the ground
brilliantly – extremely cleverly or skilfully
teed himself up – prepared himself to kick the ball; got his body in position to kick the ball
unleashed – released a powerful force, i.e., kicked the ball very powerfully
despairing – without hope
corker – something very good
lofted – kicked the ball high into the air
taming – bringing under control
dipping – making a quick downward movement
with admirable authority – (of the goalkeeper’s defense of the goal) extremely well
innocuous – harmless
absorbed – reduced the force of the pass, i.e., brought the ball under control
rocketing – kicking powerfully and fast
angled – moving at an angle, i.e., not straight
leaping - jumping

June 24, 2006

Day 15: France goes through

It wasn't easy, but France has made it through into the next round, the knock-out round where a loss means elimination from the tournament. The French-Togo match took place late last night our time after the paper went to press, so we'll have to rely on an Internet report from the World Cup section on the Bangkok Post's main website. 

audioYou can hear the following by clicking here.


France in last 16, beat Togo 2-0

henry2France will play Spain in the last 16 after qualifying as runners up in Group G Friday with a 2-0 win over Togo in Cologne thanks to goals from Patrick Vieira and Thierry Henry (photo).

Togo go home without a point, while France came second to Switzerland.
France midfielder Frank Ribery made up for two outright howlers of his own when his run into the area and pass set up Vieira's 55th minute opener, taken with some style on the turn.

Vieira then headed down on a Willy Sagnol cross to set up Henry for the 61st minute goal that made it the 2-0 France needed to qualify for the second round regardless of the score in the other Group G tie, where the Swiss beat South Korea 2-0.    

runners up – second place finishers
outright – very clear; open and direct
howlers – stupid mistakes
regardless – no matter what happened
tie - match

audioYou can hear the following by clicking here.


Just the beginning says Vieira

vieiraFrance's man-of-the-match Patrick Vieira (see photo) said after setting up a last-16 tie with Spain Friday with a goal and an assist on his 30th birthday that there was more to come from 'Les Blues'.

"It was long and difficult after we drew our opening two matches but we had some cards in our hand and knew if we got the two goals we would be through, fulfilling our first objective," Vieira said.

"This team has a lot of potential," he added.

Vieira's night ended painfully when he came off after a nasty elbow to the face, but the reception he received and the knowledge that France now have a second round date with the Spanish in Hanover on Tuesday will have eased his evident discomfort.    

assist helping with or setting up a goal scored by another playerwe had some cards in our hands – we had some advantages
fulfilling our first objective – succeeding in meeting our first goal
potential – capabilities of doing well
elbow – the part of your arm where the upper and lower halves of the arm are joined
reception – reaction; greeting
eased – reduced
evident – easily and clearly seen or noticed
June 23, 2006

Day 14: Short match summaries

Every day there are dozens of reports on the same World Cup matches. Some are long and detailed and are obviously written for the main sports pages in newspapers. Others are short match summaries designed for radio, television or Internet websites. Let's look at the match summary for yesterday's Group F matches that appears in the World Cup section on the Bangkok Post's main website. Notice how much information is packed into so little space. 

audioYou can hear the following by clicking here.


Ronaldo, Australia and red card villain all make history

ronaldoBrazil won Group F as a Ronaldo brace in a 4-1 win over Japan put him level top with Gerd Muller as the competition's all time top scorer, while Australia made a bit of their own history emerging from an epic battle with Croatia with the point they needed to make the last 16 too.

Brazil play Ghana and Australia will play Italy in the last 16. And for the record Croatia's Josip Simunic also made history, albeit of an infamous kind, after picking up three yellows and a red card in the same match.

English referee Graham Poll booked Simunic in the 62nd minute and then again in the 90th minute, but forgot to send him off in the highly charged match. However, Simunic did not learn from that as he then was booked again in the fourth minute of injury-time and Poll this time brandished the yellow and the red.

Poll also missed two clear penalties for Australia, one a virtual rugby tackle on Mark Viduka and a second when Croatia's Stepjan Tomas punched a ball in the area.

Harry Kewell was Australia's hero on the night when he thumped the goal that made it 2-2 to earn the point Australia needed after they had fallen behind twice in a match where they needed one point to qualify.

Ronaldo's first goal was a rare header that levelled the scooes at 1-1 after Japan had taken a shock lead, but his fourth was a pin-point thunderbolt, executed on the turn, a strike from the very top draw marking a return to form of the under-fire master.

Juninho and Gilberto were also on target for the champions as they simply swept Japan away.

brace – scoring two goals in one game
emerging – coming out
epic – impressive; historically significant
for the record – to be complete; to be recorded for historical reasons
albeit – although
infamous – famous or well known in a bad way
booked – gave a yellow or red card to
highly charged – very emotional or exciting
brandished – held in a very obvious or threatening way
virtual – almost the same as
thumped – scored; kicked
rare – unusual; not happening often
pin-point – very accurate; very exact
thunderbold – a very powerful kick or shot
executed – carried out
under fire – receiving criticism
master – a person who is very good at something, in this case, football
swept away – defeated easily or convincingly
June 22, 2006

Day 13: Group E teams prepare

Everyone in Group E still has a chance of qualifying for the final 16 tonight, so there is a lot of interest in the matches. Italy is most worried about one player on the opposing Czech Republic team. Read to find out who he is. The US, on the other hand, seems a bit frightened of their African opponents Ghana. Find out why. For the complete stories and much more, see today's sports section of the Bangkok Post or visit it here on the Internet. 

audioYou can hear this excerpt by clicking here

Italians wary of Nedved threat

Hamburg (AFP)  Italy believe Czech Republic midfielder Pavel Nedved poses the biggest threat to their hopes of reaching the last 16 of the World Cup.

The Italians will come face to face with the 2003 European Footballer of the Year here in Thursday's crunch Group E clash that has all the makings of a classic.

Italy need a draw to advance to the knockout stages, while the Czechs must win to guarantee qualification. In fact, all four teams in a group which also includes Ghana and the United States, still have a chance of making the next round.

Nedved knows all about Italian football having played in Serie A since 1996, and Fabio Cannavaro has identified his Juventus team-mate as the man most likely to cause the Azzurri defensive headaches.

''He is an annoying player to play against,'' the Italy captain said. ''He has a great spirit and an innner strength that is an example to others. He's a real professional, a player to fear.''

wary – cautious or worried about
pose – to cause a problem, danger or threat
crunch – an important and decisive moment or event
knockout stages – the time of the competition when the match loser must leave the tournament
annoying – causing you to become impatient or angry

audioYou can hear the next excerpt by clicking here

Ghana 'miracle' win puts fright into US

Nuremberg (AFP)  Ghana's shock World Cup upset of the Czechs has put a bit of a fright into the US team. That's music to the ears of the Africans' 60-year-old coach, who wants the Americans to suffer today.

Ghana, which stunned the second-ranked Czech Republic 2-0 after losing to Italy, will reach the round of 16 with a victory here in a Group E match. The US team comes off a 1-1 draw with Italy and must win for any hope to advance.

''Ghana was miraculous in the way they turned their game around. That in itself is frightening,'' US coach Bruce Arena said. ''They have momentum and confidence.''

Something else the Black Stars boast is quickness. Sparked by dynamic Chelsea midfielder Michael Essien and captain Stephen Appiah, World Cup debutante Ghana could send the 2002 quarter-finalist squad flying home.

''Hopefully we can deal with their team speed. That's my biggest concern,'' Arena said. ''One thing we don't want to do is have a foot race with Ghana for 90 minutes. If we do, we're going to lose a lot of those races.''

Ghana coach Ratomir Dujkovic, a Serbian who calls this the most important match of his life, said Arena is right to be concerned.

''They have to worry. The USA will suffer because we are strong and we are not afraid of anyone,'' Dujkovic said. ''Ghana is young and tough. We won't play for a draw. We always play offensive football and we play to win.'' 

miracle – something that was thought to be almost impossible (the adjective form is miraculous)
music to the ears – something that is pleasant to hear
momentum – a gain in strength
boast (of something good) to have
sparked by – given energy and enthusiasm
dynamic – active and energetic
debutante – a person or group that is participating in something for the first time
offensive - attacking

June 21, 2006

Day 12: It is not all football

Not all World Cup-related stories are match reports. Everyday, there are several human-interest type stories about the players or their fans that give us a feeling for what the World Cup atmosphere is really like.

Today, there is a very interesting story in the Bangkok Post related to  tomorrow's Australian - Croatia football match that should add to your enjoyment while watching the match. As you will find out, the two teams have some very close ties (relationships). This is particularly true of Aussie captain Mark Viduka who is the main subject of the story. Below is an extended excerpt from the story.

audioYou can hear this excerpt by clicking here.


Viduka swears allegiance

vidukaStuttgart (AFP)  Skipper Mark Viduka (see photo) had an abiding suspicion that Australia's improbable qualification for the last sixteen at the World Cup would come down to the final group match with Croatia tomorrow.

The Australians, who have been a revelation in Germany under the inspired coaching of Guus Hiddink, have beaten Asian champions Japan and put up a strong showing against world champions Brazil.

But for them to reach the knockout rounds they must get past Croatia, the 1998 World Cup semi-finalists.

The mathematics are simple: a draw should be enough to join Brazil in the second round, but this is an emotionally-churning time for many in the Australian camp as they prepare to finish off their work and take their place in the next phase.

Six of the Australian squad trace their roots back to Croatia and there are three players in Croatia's squad who were raised in Australia and groomed their football at the taxpayer-funded national sports institute.

It is a particularly poignant match for Viduka, who in the early 1990s as a 17-year-old had the walls of his bedroom at the Australian Institute of Sport decorated with posters of the greats of Croatian football. His bedsheets bore the emblem of his favourite club, Hajduk Split.

At 19 he was spirited away from Australia by the then president of Croatia Franjo Tudjman to play for Dinamo Zagreb, where he played four seasons before moving on to Scotland and England.

Now at 30 Viduka, the Middlesbrough striker, is to lead Australia against Croatia for what would be a high-water mark in Australian football, a place in the last 16 of the World Cup.

His father was born in Croatia, Viduka played for Croatia Zagreb, his wife Ivana is Croatian and he answers questions in Croatian at press conferences for Croatian reporters.

But there is no doubt where Viduka's allegiance lies tomorrow in Stuttgart.

''I am Aussie through and through, mate,'' Viduka said yesterday. ''The national anthem on Sunday (against Brazil) was great. I was in heaven, seeing the Munich stadium in green and gold was fantastic.''


swear allegiance – to promise to be loyal to a country or organisation
skipper – captain
abiding suspicion– an expectation or feeling that you have had for a long time
improbable – unlikely; unexpected
revelation – a surprising or interesting thing or fact that is made known to people
inspired – having excellent qualities or abilities
emotionally-churning – emotionally difficult
trace their roots – to have their family origins in a particular country
groomed – prepared or trained
poignant – affecting you deeply, making you feel sadness or regret
bore the emblem – had the official symbol on it
high-water mark – highest level of success or achievement
national anthem – the official song of a country

June 19, 2006

Day 10: As expected, Brazil goes through

flagIt is no surprise that Brazil has already qualified for the second round of the World Cup. It hasn't been easy though and yesterday's game with Australia was particularly tough. Here is the opening section of today's Bangkok Post report on the match. For the full story, of course, see today's issue of the Bangkok Post or go to the sports section of the main website.

audioYou can hear this excerpt by clicking here


Brazil made to fight

Munich (AFP)  Five-time champions Brazil advanced to the second round of the World Cup with a hard-earned 2-0 Group F win over Australia yesterday.

brazilIt took a 49th-minute goal from Adriano (see photo) to unlock the stout Australian defence but the champions were given a big fright as Australia threw everything at them.

Substitute Fred had a simple tap in for Brazil's second on fulltime to wrap up the victory after Robinho shot struck the post.

''I am delighted that I was able to come on and score,'' said Fred.

''The team is still finding its feet,'' added the 22-year-old Lyon star striker, referring to another listless performance by Brazil.

Coach Guus Hiddink again went for all-out attack to save the match as he did in the last-gasp win over Japan last weekend.

Brazil's win extended their record of successive wins at World Cup finals to nine and has them poised to top the group with next Thursday's final match with Japan.

Brazil broke the deadlock four minutes after halftime when Ronaldo cleverly held on to the ball from two defenders and laid across goal to Adriano who evaded Scott Chipperfield and fired home for his first goal of the tournament.

But the Australians earned admirers in the way they pushed the Brazilians all the way with German referee Markus Merk not giving them much with his decisions.

stout – strong and determined
tap – a light kick
on fulltime – right at the end of regular time (90 minutes)
finding its feet – getting adjusted; getting fully prepared
listless – lacking energy or enthusiam
last-gasp win – to win at the very end of the match
successive – happening or existing one after another without a break, e.g. nine matches in a row
poised – ready; ready to move at any moment
deadlock – a match that is even, i.e., both teams have the same score
evaded – got around or away from; avoided
fired home – put a powerful kick into the net
June 17, 2006

Day 8: A rout and a challenge

A rout is a victory by a very large margin. Argentina's 6-0 drubbing of Serbia Montenegro last night certainly qualifies as a rout. On the other hand, Holland's 2 - 1 win over the Ivory Coast was a very different matter. Today, we'll look at parts of the Bangkok Post's coverage of both games. For full coverage, of course, see today's issue of the Bangkok Post or go to the sports section of the main website

    Let's begin with Argentina's massive win. What was most impressive about this match is the quality of the goals. They were wonderful examples of teamwork. Three of them are described below.

audioYou can hear this excerpt by clicking here.


Gelsenkirchen (AFP)  Argentina underlined their World Cup threat yesterday with a 6-0 drubbing of Serbia-Montenegro, propelling them to near certain qualification from the "Group of Death".

Fuelled by an altogether more offensive display than against Ivory Coast, the Argentinians ripped the beleaguered Serbs to shreds after responding to coach Jose Pekerman's call for more control of the game.


Goal 1

After pressing the Serbia-Montenegro goal from the start, the Albicelestes took the lead in the sixth minute on just their third attempt on goal following two corners.

A flicked back heel by Juan Pablo Sorin on the left wing split open the Serb defence and found Saviola.

ArgentinaRunning into space, the Seville striker slotted through a diagonal pass to an unchallened mid-fielder Rodriguez, who blasted the ball past the hapless Dragoslave Jevric.


Goal 2

In the 31st minute, Saviola and Juan Riquelme combined in a fluid cross-field movement from the left that found Cambiasso (see photo) on the edge of the penalty area.

The midfielder completed the move after a glorious one-two with Crespo, who fed Cambiasso with a back-heeled pass that the Inter Milan player volleyed into goal with his left foot.


Goal 3

Rodriguez made it three just before half time, after Saviola poached the ball from a Serb player near the cornerpost and ran around the defence to feed Hernan Crespo with a low cross.

The Chelsea striker was deprived by a gaggle of Serb defenders and goalkeeper but the ball ran across to Rodriguez who side-footed his shot off the post for Argentina's third.

rout – a complete and easy victory
drubbing – a very bad defeat
underlined - stress; emphasised - as if underlining an idea on a piece of paper

propelling - moving
altogether more – much more
offensive – attacking (opposite of defensive)
ripped to shreds – defeated completely, as if cutting apart into small narrow pieces (shreds)
beleaguered – very troubled; having many problems
flicked – done with a short, sudden movement
back heel – a backwards kick using the heel of your shoe
split open – divided or separated, creating an opening (a space) in between
slotted – kicked through a tight space or opening
diagonal – moving at an angle in a sloping direction like from one corner of a square across to the corner on the opposite side
fluid – very smooth
glorious – very good; wonderful
fed (past of feed) – to pass the ball to a player who is in position to score
volleyed – kicked before the ball hit the ground
poached – stole; took possession away from
deprived – prevented from doing something
gaggle – a group of people, especially a group that is noisy or disorganised


The Dutch had a more difficult time, but they also scored two fine goals. The problem was that their opponent, Ivory Coast, quickly got one back and almost scored soon after. All scoring took place in the first half and that is what the following excerpt covers.


audioYou can hear the next excerpt by clicking here.


No coasting for Holland

Stuttgart (AFP)  The Netherlands booked a place in the last 16 of the World Cup with a thrilling 2-1 win over a spirited Ivory Coast in a Group C match here Friday. The result spelled heartbreak for the African Nations Cup runners-up, however, with Argentina's 6-0 trouncing of Serbia and Montenegro earlier yesterday assuring the South Americans of the other qualifying spot.

robinThe Dutch took the lead with two goals midway through the first-half but Ivory Coast hit back with a goal before the interval and gave the Oranje a real run for their money throughout a pulsating match.

Robin van Persie, (see photo) who cut a solitary figure in the Netherlands' opening 1-0 win over Serbia and Montenegro on Sunday, was a constant thorn in the Africans' side and it was no surprise when one of many jinking runs ended with a free-kick on the edge of the area in the 23rd minute.

The Arsenal winger stepped up and blasted in a curling left-footed free-kick just over the head of the diminutive Arthur Boka, the last man in the Ivory Coast wall, and beyond the reach of diving goalkeeper Jean-Jacques Tizie.

The Dutch lead was doubled four minutes later, a deft through ball by Arjen Robben falling into the path of the advancing Ruud van Nistlerooy.

The out-of-favour Manchester United striker, whom Dutch coach Marco van Basten kept faith with despite the admission he was out of form, calmly stroked home past the stranded Tizie for his first World Cup goal.

But Ivory Coast pulled one back in the 38th minute through Nice striker Bakary Kone who drilled an excellent shot high beyond Dutch goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar.

didierThat crowned a period of good possession for the Africans, who had come within inches of scoring five minutes earlier through Didier Zokora, whose cracking 25-yard shot beat van der Sar only to come back off the woodwork.

Didier Drogba, (see photo) who was booked for fouling van der Sar and will miss the last match against the Serbs, missed the chance to draw the Ivory Coast level in the 42nd minute, making a hash of a two-on-one with fellow striker Aruna Kone unmarked and the goalline begging.


coasting – moving easily without the need for much work
thrilling – very exciting
spirited – showing great energy and courage
runners-up – the second-place finishers in a competition
trouncing – drubbing; a very bad defeat
the interval – the half-time break
a real run for their money – causing them to work very hard in order to win; giving them a lot of competition
pulsating – very active and exciting
cut a solitary figure – was alone in some way, e.g., was the only goal scorer
thorn in the side – causing continual and annoying problems
jinking – moving quickly in an irregular way
curling - curving
diminutive – very small
deft – a skilful and often quick action
through ball – a ball going through a space
keep faith with - to not lose confidence in
stroked home – smoothly kicked the ball into the net
stranded – out of position; in the wrong position away from the ball
drilled – shot powerfully
crowded – was the high point of a series of events
cracking – powerful
woodwork – the wooden supports for the goal
booked – given a yellow or red card
making a hash of – doing a very poor job of something
unmarked – undefended
begging – open; undefended



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