Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 9:37 — 13.6MB) | Embed
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | Blubrry | Email | TuneIn | Deezer | Youtube Music | RSS | More
Learn English Through Football Podcast: X-Goal Thriller
In this week’s football phrase we look at the phrase ‘X-goal thriller’, a phrase used to talk about exciting games. We will focus on the second leg tie in the Europa League between Manchester United and Lyon. You can read the transcript for this football-language podcast below, while 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
Hello
DB: You are listening to the Learn English Through Football Podcast.
Hi there everyone and welcome to the show for all those who love the beautiful game of football and who want to improve their English language skills. My name is Damon and I’m talking to you from a beautiful sunny Tokyo. I hope you are well wherever you are.
On the Show
Now listener, did you watch any of the European competitions this week? There were some cracking games, and one of those games gives us this show’s football phrase – X-goal thriller. We’ll look at the match between Manchester United and Lyon in the second leg tie in the Europa League. After that, we’ll have a look at how Damian, the other half of the Languagecaster team, and I did in the predictions last week.
Stinger: You are listening to languagecaster.com (from Multilinguafc in Spanish)
DB: Yes, you are listening to Languagecaster, and thank you for that message from our friends at Multilingua fc who are also interested in language and football! Check them out if you have time. Listen to the other messages, or stingers in the show, and see if you can recognise the language. We’ll have the answers at the end of the show. Here’s one to get you started.
Stinger: You are listening to languagecaster.com (in Persian)
X-goal thriller
DB: OK, let’s start. We are looking at a common phrase in football to describe an exciting game. X-goal thriller, where X is a number, so five-goal thriller, etc.
A thriller is an exciting game, usually with lots of tension, and maybe a dramatic winner late in the game. It is dramatic, exciting, pulsating – all adjectives used to describe a thriller.
To make the complete phrase, we add some detail, the number of goals. So, five-goal, six-goal, seven-goal thriller. Now, this is just my opinion, and I wonder if you agree with me. I don’t think we would say three-goal thriller or two-goal thriller.
Of course, a game can be a thriller even with only one goal – it can be dramatic and exciting, but this phrase uses the number of goals to emphasise the fact that this number also made the game exciting. It was exciting because there were a lot of goals.
Stinger: You are listening to languagecaster.com (in Cebuano, the Philippines)
Manchester United 5-4 Lyon
DB: Now, one match this week in the Europa League certainly had a lot of goals and was certainly exciting. Man United and Lyon were involved in a nine-goal thriller. Yes, nine goals!
The first leg ended 2-2, and Man United looked in control of the return leg at half time after scoring twice to make it 2-0 and 4-2 on aggregate. However, Lyon fought back with two goals of their own in the second half to make it 2-2 and force extra time. They also had a man sent off for two yellow cards, so had to play extra time with 10 men.
Incredibly, Lyon were the more dangerous side even with 10 men and struck twice to make it 2-4 on the night – this was already a six-goal thriller. United looked like they would be dumped out of Europe at the quarter final stage.
Here is what the BBC wrote: United appeared to be heading out of the competition in the worst possible manner as they tossed away a two-goal lead in the space of seven minutes before conceding twice in extra time.
(a) Comeback
However, the English side made an amazing comeback with three goals: one in extra time, and two in time added on in extra time. Maguire’s header at the death sealed the win and broke the Lyon players’ and fans’ hearts. What a game! A nine-goal thriller!
Stinger: You are listening to languagecaster.com (in Irish)
DB: Now, what about a match that, for example, ends 5-0. This was the scoreline at St James’ Park this mid-week, when Newcastle thrashed Crystal Palace. Is this a five-goal thriller? Well, no. There are a lot of goals but the match is one-sided, one side dominates the other. This is a thrashing or a hammering.
A five-goal thriller has lots of goals AND both sides are competing. It usually has a late goal or goals to decide the game and is maybe a see-saw game. This is when one team is on top and then the other team, and so on.
What is the best X-goal thriller you’ve seen? Mine is probably Liverpool 4, Newcastle 3 in 1996. A seven-goal thriller, which was a see-saw game, with a time added on winner!
Stinger: You are listening to languagecaster.com (Cantonese)
Predictions
DB: Right, next predictions. We don’t have any this week to look ahead to but we’ll take a look back at mine and Damian’s predictions last week.
Bayern München v Borussia Dortmund
DB: First up was the big game in Germany, Bayern Munich hosting Borussia Dortmund. Both Damian and I went for a Bayern 2-0 win, and we were both wrong. The match ended 2-2, so they shared the spoils. No points for either Damian or me. Not a good week for both these sides as they were also knocked out of the Champions League: Bayern were beaten 4-3 on aggregate by Inter and Dortmund despite a 3-1 win, were beaten over two legs by Barcelona 5-3.
Liverpool v West Ham United
DB: Next was Liverpool who hosted West Ham. Damian thought it would be a comfortable win for the Reds, maybe 3-0 and I went for 3-1. It was a 2-1 win for Liverpool, but they had to work hard and it took a late winning header from their captain Virgil Van Dyke to bag the three points. One point each for Damian and me.
Lazio v Roma
DB: The last match we looked at was Lazio v Roma. Damian predicted a 2-1 Roma win while I went for a 1-0 Lazio win. Neither of us were correct, as it was a 1-1 draw. A classic derby result!
Not great predicting from the Languagecaster team! But I still hold a 4-point lead over Damian in the title race!
Stinger: You are listening to languagecaster.com (Korean)
Contact
DB: Right, remember to contact us via email at admin@languagecaster.com if you have any questions about the language of football or if you have some feedback on our podcast. Checkout our website at languagecaster.com and explore our Football Language Forum, where you can ask and answer questions about all kinds of football language. There is also our huge glossary of football terms, with hundreds of expressions, phrases, and clichés about the beautiful game of football. And finally, please help us by spreading the word about our podcast and our site. Give us a like and follow us on social media platforms like Instagram, Facebook, Blue Sky, YouTube, and many more.
Stinger: You are listening to languagecaster.com (in Japanese)
Goodbye
DB: Yes, you are listening to Languagecaster and that message or stinger was in Japanese. We have also heard stingers in Spanish at the start of the show, followed by Persian, Cebuano from the Philippines, Irish, Cantonese, and Korean. Today, we looked at the phrase nine-goal thriller, used to describe a see-saw game, with some dramatic late goals. And that brings us to the end of the show. Enjoy all the football. Ta-ra!
Learn English Through Football Podcast: A show for football fans to improve their English language skills
