On day eight of Euro 2024, the phrase of the day is ‘string of chances’ which describes the match between France and The Netherlands. Learn what this phrase means by reading the post below. You can also check out our glossary of footballing phrases here and visit our site to access all our previous posts and podcasts. If you have any suggestions or questions then you can contact us at admin@languagecaster.com.
A String of Chances
On day eight of the Euros, the two big hitters in Group D, France and Holland met and played out a 0-0 draw. Even though no goals were scored, France especially created a lot of chances. France had 14 attempts on goal (theanalyst.com), but couldn’t fin the back of the net. In this case, we can use the phrase, a string of chances. This means chance after chance after chance, like beads on a string necklace.
We can use string as a verb too, to talk about passes. A team can string together a lot of passes, meaning they are in control of the ball.
Here is an example from The Times commenting on the chances France had: ‘Injured striker (Mbappé) stays on the bench as Didier Deschamps’ side waste string of chances and Holland have goal ruled out.’
This is a headline so the article ‘a’ is dropped in ‘waste a string of chances’. Here is another example from the Guardian: France ‘ should have won a game that, although the first goalless draw of the tournament, was lively enough and brought a string of presentable chances. Most of them fell the favourites’ (France’s) way but, as the list of misses stacked up, the absence of their talisman (Mbappé) glared more brightly.’
Another phrase we could use is a ‘hatful of chances‘. This phrase suggests there were even more chances than a string of chances.
Euro 2024 Football Phrase of the Day
- Day 1 – Kickstart their campaign
- Day 2 – Lay down a marker
- Day 3 – Power home a header
- Day 4 – A screamer
- Day 5 – Snatch a last gasp win
- Day 6 – Sweep home
- Day 7 – Rocket
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