Here are some words and phrases you can hear on languagecaster’s Good, Bad and Ugly section of the podcast – a review of the footballing news. For more English practice check out our worksheets, football glossary and English for football phrases.
- In a row: consecutively
Example: Gamba Osaka are the second Japanese team in a row to win the Asian Champions League title.
- Aggregate: Total, the added score over two games
Example: Gamba defeated Adelaide 5-0 on aggregate.
- Class act: Someone or something special
Example: Yasuhito Endo from Gamba Osaka is a class act indeed.
- Thrashing: A huge defeat of another team
Example: Barcelona gave Valladolid a thrashing last weekend.
- Battling: A word to describe a team (or player) that works hard and does not lose easily.
Example: Malaga lost 3-4 to Real Madrid last week in a battling performance.
- (a) Thriller: A really exciting game.
Example: Malaga lost a 3-4 thriller against Real Madrid last weekend.
- To be Dumped (out of): To be beaten (usually by a smaller team
Example: Real Madrid were dumped out of the Spanish Cup by Real Union last night. A real shock indeed.
- To not have a clue: To have no idea, be completely lost
Example: Real Madrid coach Schuster said he did not have a clue why his side keep letting in goals.
- a Brawl: A huge fight between many people
Example: A brawl broke out between Bolivian team Aurora’s players and local police.
- a Stand off: When two sets of groups get ready to fight each other
Example: Tear gas had to be used to break up the stand off between the players and police.
Welcome to the website that helps students interested in football improve their English language skills. Football fans can practise with lots of free language resources, including football-language podcasts and our huge football-language glossary.