[print_link] | Subscribe: The Good, the Bad and the UglyIn this week’s football review section we look back at some of the big stories from the recent matches over the weekend to help learners of English improve their vocabulary. This week we look at Roma’s amazing start to the season, wonder whether Spurs are in trouble and ask why Milan will have no fans at their next home match. You can find explanations of key vocabulary in bold below.
This week’s football review
Good
Last week we featured Spanish side Atletico Madrid after their wonderful opening series of victories in La Liga and this week we congratulate Italian team Roma who have won all seven of their Serie A matches to go two points clear at the top of the table. Their latest victory was a 3-0 hammering of in-form Inter Milan – away from home. Roma were expected to struggle under a new coach Rudi Garcia who would have to deal with the issue of many of the top players from last season leaving: Marquinhos to PSG, Lamela to Spurs and Osvaldo to Southampton. Instead, Roma have scored a remarkable 20 times already this season while only conceding once. Who is to say that Roma cannot win their first Scudetto title for more than a decade?
Bad
It was a bad weekend for Premier League side Tottenham who were demolished 0-3 on their home turf by local rivals West Ham United. Spurs went into this game with one of the best defensive records in all of Europe and had not lost to their East-London rivals West Ham since the 1990s but instead they ended up being well beaten and we know wait and see whether this was an aberration or the start of something more serious for Villas-Boas’ side.
A Ugly
AC Milan will be forced to play their next home game behind closed doors – no fans will be allowed to enter the stadium for the game against Udinese in two weeks time – according to ESPN. The Italian FA has enforced this decision on Milan after a section of their fans were heard chanting insults against Juventus. Milan president Galliani has complained about the severity of the punishment but it is not the first time that Milan have been in trouble this season after fans shouted racist abuse during a match against Sampdoria.
A Vocabulary
hammering: Thrashing
conceding: Allowing a goal to be scored against them
were demolished: Badly defeated; thrashed
home turf: Home ground or stadium; were playing at home
an aberration: A one-time error
has enforced this decision on: Forced them to comply/do
