In this week’s football review section we marvel at Bhutan, wonder at English sides in Europe and sympathise with Parma fans. To help with understanding you can find explanations of key vocabulary in bold below.This week’s football review (The Good, the Bad and the Ugly): Bhutan, English Clubs in Europe and Parma
Good
Yes, it was a good week for the four teams who made it through to the quarter-finals of the Champions League (Barcelona, Atlético Madrid, Monaco and Juventus) who will join PSG, Bayern, Real and Porto but once again it is hats off to the tiny Himalayan nation of Bhutan who managed to beat Sri Lanka 2-1 in the second leg of their first round Asian World Cup qualifier. The result means that they qualify – along with 39 other teams – for the second round group stage so Bhutan could end up facing Japan, Korea or current Asian champions Australia in the near future. When the next set of FIFA rankings appear, Bhutan will surely lose the tag of ‘world’s worst team’ and move away from its current position of 209.
Bad
Manchester City were given a football lesson by in-form Barcelona in their second leg Champions League match earlier in the week; losing 1-0 on the night and 3-1 on aggregate. Coupled with Arsenal’s elimination against Monaco on away goals and Chelsea’s defeat against PSG the previous week, England will have no representatives in the quarter-final of the Champions League for the second time in three years suggesting that the Premier League may not be the greatest league in the world after all.
Ugly
It has been an ugly time for fans of Italian side Parma as their side sit bottom of Serie A and in real financial trouble. Players and staff have not been paid and the club is facing bankruptcy procedures meaning there is a real threat that the club may fold before the season is out. Tough times for the former two-time UEFA Cup champion.
Vocabulary
it is hats off to: Congratulations; to take your hat off to someone is to recognise they have done something good
the tag: The name
were given a football lesson: They were well beaten (not just in the score but also in the style)
in-form: Adjective used to describe a team playing very well at the moment
on aggregate: In total (used in two-legged matches)
Coupled with: Together with, in addition to
representatives: Teams
sit bottom: Are bottom; the team is last
may fold: The team may disappear
the season is out: The end of the season
former two-time UEFA Cup champion: Parma won this competition in 1995 and 1999 (and the Cup-Winners Cup in 1993)
