On this week’s review section we salute the champions of Italy and the Europa League, while relegated Blackburn and Spanish side GranadaA both feature in our bad and ugly sections. You can listen to these and other stories on our weekly podcast and can find explanations of key vocabulary in bold below.You can also find many more examples of football cliches here and our huge football glossary here. If you have any suggestions or questions then you can contact us at admin@languagecaster.com.
Good
Congratulations to Italian side Juventus who were crowned champions of Serie A last weekend after they defeated Cagliari 2-0 away and rivals AC Milan were beaten in a pulsating derby against Inter. It was Juve’s first title win in nine years and completes their comeback after the Calciopoli scandal and subsequent relegation to Serie B six years ago. This was the Old Lady‘s record-breaking 28th title and remarkably they could go through the whole season without losing a match. Well done also to Atlético Madrid who easily defeated Bilbao in the final of the Europa League. After scoring the winner for Porto in last year’s final, Falcao notched a double to help Atlético win the trophy for the second time in three years.
Bad
It has beenA a bad week for Blackburn Rovers as they were finally relegated from the Premier League after their home defeat against a resurgent Wigan Athletic. It has been a tough year for manager Steve Kean who has not received the full backing of the club’s supporters – indeed, they have been campaigning against him all season – and though there have been calls for his head he has vowed not to quit. Whether the owners of the club, Venky’s, will keep faith in him is another matter. They had promised the club a new image and instead they now have Championship football. Bad news indeed.
Ugly
Ugly scenes in La Liga whereA Granada winger Dani Benitez was banned for three months after he threw a plastic bottle at the referee in Granada’s home defeat against Spanish champions Real Madrid. The winger was angry at the fact that his side conceded two late controversial goals against Madrid which could have helped his side to stave off relegation (and, of course, beat the champions). The Spanish FA banned him for ‘an act of aggression against a match official’ and though Benitez apologised he will be out of the game for the first part of next season. Ugly indeed.
Vocabulary
- crowned champions: Became champions, won the league title
- pulsating: Extremely exciting
- Old Lady: the nickname of the Juventus
- notched a double: Scored twice
- resurgent: New life into the team, the team has been playing very well.
- the full backing: The complete support
- there have been calls for his head: People want him to be fired/sacked
- vowed: Promised
- conceded: Let in a goal
- to stave off: To fight off, to beat/avoid relegation
Learn English Through Football Podcast: A show for football fans to improve their English language skills
