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Riyad Mahrez scores in injury time for Algeria.

Summer Tournaments: Eyes on Africa

Summer Tournaments: Eyes on Africa

Welcome to This Week from Premier Skills English, a weekly review of football action for learners of English from across the globe. In This Week, Jack and Rich talk about the latest action from the Premier League and the world of football. They keep you up to date with our latest competitions and have lots of football English for you to learn.

Transcript

If the listening is a bit difficult, try listening and reading at the same time.
Read the transcript and listen at the same time.

Introduction  

Jack: Hello my name’s Jack and welcome to our weekly round-up section called ‘This Week’ on Premier Skills English.

Rich: Hi there. I’m Rich. We’ve got lots of interesting words and phrases to help you talk about football in English.

Jack: We want you to use and practise these phrases by interacting with Premier League fans from around the world in our comments section.

Rich: If you listen to us on Spotify or Apple Podcasts, you can leave your comments in the review section. We do read all the reviews and would love to hear from you.

Jack: You can find all our latest content on the Premier Skills English homepage or the Premier Skills-British Council Facebook page. 

Rich: Let’s start with our headlines! 

Headlines

Jack: Mahrez magic fires Algeria to the final.

Rich: Manchester City’s Riyad Makrez scored a stunning 95th-minute free-kick to send Algeria into the Africa Cup of Nations Final and break Nigerian hearts. Algeria took a first-half lead through an own goal but ex-Watford striker, Odion Ighalo, equalised from the spot for Nigeria but Mahrez had the final say.

Jack: Goalkeeping blunder sends Senegal to the FInal. 

Rich: An extra-time blunder by the Tunisia goalkeeper sent Senegal into the Africa Cup of Nations Final. Senegal missed a penalty and Liverpool’s Sadio Mane missed an open goal before the Tunisia keeper dropped the ball onto a defenders head and into the net for an unfortunate own goal. There was no way back and Senegal will play in only their second Final at the Africa Cup of Nations.

Jack: Transfer Window hotting up. 

Rich: This summer’s transfer window is hotting up with the new season only three weeks away. Some of the done deals include Aarao Wan-Bissaka from Palace to Manchester United for £50 million, Ndombele from Lyon to Tottenham for £53 million and Rodri from Atletico Madrid to Manchester City for £68 million.  

Jack: There are sure to be more transfer deals in the next few weeks.

Vocabulary alert!

Rich: In our vocabulary alert, we look at some football English that we used in the headlines.

Jack: Our six words and phrases this week are: to have the final say, a blunder, an open goal, transfer window, hotting up and done deal.

Rich: Let’s start with the phrase ‘to have the final say’. This phrase means to have the final words in a discussion or argument which ends the discussion.

Jack: We can say that a football match is similar to an argument. In the Algeria-Nigeria match, Riyad Mahrez had the final say because he scored with the last kick of the match.

Rich: We can say he had the final say or he had the final word.

Jack: The next word is blunder. When someone makes a blunder it means to make a horrible mistake or error.

Rich: It’s often used when goalkeepers make a mistake. The Tunisia goalkeeper made a blunder.

Jack: The next phrase is an open goal. An open goal is a goal with no goalkeeper in it so it’s a really easy chance to score.

Rich: Sadio Mane missed an open goal so he’ll be really happy that Senegal still won the match against Tunisia.

Jack: The next phrase is transfer window. This is the period of time when clubs can buy and sell players.

Rich: The summer transfer window opens at the end of the season and closes before the new Premier League season starts.

Jack: The next phrase is to hot up which is a phrasal verb that means to get more intense. We said that the transfer window is hotting up because more transfers are happening.

Rich: You could also say that a match is hotting up. This would mean it’s getting faster and more exciting, possibly more tackles and chances being created.

Jack: The final phrase this week is a done deal. You see this phrase a lot at this time of year and it means a business agreement that has been completed.

Rich: In football, we’re obviously talking about transfers and on many websites you can find a list of done deals for every Premier League club.

Jack: OK, so there are our six words and phrases. Listen to this part of the podcast again if you are not sure how to use them.

Rich: The words and phrases are: to have the final say, a blunder, an open goal, transfer window, hotting up and done deal.

Football Awards

Rich: Right, every week, we give out three Matchweek awards. 

Jack: The awards are Player of the Week, Team of the Week and Goal of the Week.

Rich: In the comments section, you need to tell us if you agree with our choices.
 
Jack: Let’s start with Player of the Week. This week we’re concentrating on the Africa Cup of Nations.

Rich: We could go for Manchester City and Algeria playmaker Riyad Mahrez or Liverpool’s Sadio Mane but our Player of the Week is Idrissa Gueye. The Everton midfielder has played well for Senegal and scored a fine goal in the quarter-final.

Jack: The next award is for Team of the Week. The contenders are Senegal and Algeria and our Team of the Week is Algeria. Two tough matches against Ivory Coast and Nigeria to get through to the final is an impressive achievement.

Rich: And finally our goal of the week. It goes to Manchester CIty’s Algerian winger, Riyad Mahrez. A great free-kick to win the semi-final for Algeria and the timing of the goal wasn’t bad either!

Matchweek Prediction 

Jack: Every week, Rich predicts the result of one big match and this Friday is the Final of the Africa Cup of Nations.

Rich: And it has some nice Premier League connections, too. Senegal have Liverpool’s Sadio Mane and Algeria have Manchester City’s Riyad Mahrez.

Jack: I’m predicting Senegal to win 2-1. What about you Rich?

Rich: I’m predicting the opposite, Jack. I think Algeria will come out on top. Both teams have been really strong at the back throughout the tournament but I think Algeria have a little more in attack. Riyad Mahrez has been playing well but Sadio Mane has not been at 100%. And another important thing to remember is that Algeria have already beaten Senegal in this tournament. They beat them 1-0 in the group stage so I’m going to go for the same scoreline. 1-0 to Algeria.

Jack: You heard it here first! If you are going to watch the Africa Cup of Nations final let us know your opinions in the comments section on the Premier Skills English website.

Rich: If you listen to us on Apple Podcasts, don’t forget to leave us a review. We’d love to hear from you.

Jack: Bye for now and enjoy your football.

Results

Africa Cup of Nations Semi-Finals

Algeria 2-1 Nigeria

Senegal 1-0 Tunisia

Headlines

Mahrez magic fires Algeria to the final

Algeria fans celebrate reaching the final of the Africa Cup of Nations.

Manchester City’s Riyad Makrez scored a stunning 95th-minute free-kick to send Algeria into the Africa Cup of Nations Final and break Nigerian hearts. Algeria took a first-half lead through an own goal, but ex-Watford striker, Odion Ighalo, equalised from the spot for Nigeria, however, Mahrez had the final say.

Headlines

Goalkeeping blunder sends Senegal to the Final

A blunder by the Tunisian goalkeeper sent Senegal into the final.

An extra-time blunder by the Tunisia goalkeeper sent Senegal into the Africa Cup of Nations Final. Senegal missed a penalty and Liverpool’s Sadio Mane missed an open goal before the Tunisia keeper dropped the ball onto a defenders head and into the net for an unfortunate own goal. There was no way back and Senegal will play in only their second Final at the Africa Cup of Nations.

Headlines

Transfer Window hotting up

Rodri has moved from Atletico Madrid to Manchester City for a club record transfer fee.

This summer’s transfer window is hotting up with the new season only three weeks away. Some of the done deals include Aaron Wan-Bissaka from Palace to Manchester United for £50 million, Ndombele from Lyon to Tottenham for £53 million and Rodri from Atletico Madrid to Manchester City for £68 million.

Vocabulary Alert

Football English

We looked at six pieces of football English that you can learn to improve your English. Take a look at the phrases in bold. Do you understand what they mean?

Mahrez had the final say. This phrase means to have the final words in a discussion or argument and this usually ends the discussion.

When someone makes a blunder it means to make a horrible mistake or error. It’s often used when goalkeepers make a mistake. The Tunisia goalkeeper made a blunder.

An open goal is a goal with no goalkeeper in it so it’s a really easy chance to score. Sadio Mane missed an open goal but Senegal still won the match against Tunisia.

The summer transfer window opens at the end of the season and closes before the new Premier League season starts. This is a period of time when clubs can buy and sell players.

The transfer window is hotting up because more transfers are happening. To hot up is a phrasal verb that means to get more intense.

A done deal is a business agreement that has been completed. You can find a list of done deals for every Premier League club on www.premierleague.com

Senegal fans looking worried but it would all end in smiles for the Senegalese team.

Can you use the words in bold in a different sentence? Write a sentence at the bottom of the page. If you're not sure, listen to the audio for more explanations and examples.

Matchweek Awards

Do you agree with our choices?

Player of the Week: Idrissa Gueye (Senegal & Everton)

Team of the Week: Algeria

Goal of the Week: Riyad Mahrez (Algeria & Manchester City)

Algeria will play Senegal in the Africa Cup of Nations Final on Friday.

The Big Match

Africa Cup of Nations Final: Algeria v Senegal 

The Premier League season has finished but the football season isn't over. In the podcast, Rich predicts the winner of the Africa Cup of Nations Final. Who do you think will come out on top?

The semi-final would end in disappointment for these Tunisia fans.

Five Questions

What do you think?

Jack and Rich have spoken about This Week in football. Now it's your turn! Have a look at the questions and write your answers in the comments section below.

  1. Have you been watching the Africa Cup of Nations? What's been your favourite moment? 
  2. Are you going to watch the Final? Who is going to win: Senegal or Algeria?
  3. Use this week's vocabulary: Which is the worse blunder: a goalkeeper dropping the ball or a striker missing an open goal?
  4. Did you know that the transfer window closes on August 8th for Premier League clubs?
  5. Which done deals do you think are the best so far?

Let's get the conversation started and create a community!

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Komentar

hsn's picture
hsn
23/01/2022
TR
5560
points

Phrases
• At the official tender, rival company proposed a very low price.We were going to lose..But we have final say. A done deal now.
• Their hopeless relations is hotting up, shouting to each other, arguments and separation have already started.


hsn's picture
hsn
23/01/2022 17:38
Turkey
Tottenham Hotspur
5560

Phrases
• At the official tender, rival company proposed a very low price.We were going to lose..But we have final say. A done deal now.
• Their hopeless relations is hotting up, shouting to each other, arguments and separation have already started.

englishman
04/08/2019
DZ
1734
points

it's a very hard match


englishman
04/08/2019 13:27
Algeria
Manchester City
1734

it's a very hard match

englishman
24/07/2019
DZ
1734
points

One - two - three viva l'Algérie


englishman
24/07/2019 10:54
Algeria
Manchester City
1734

One - two - three viva l'Algérie

englishman
23/07/2019
DZ
1734
points

I have watched the Africa Cup of Nation.
my favorite moments when Algeria won all its matches.
I have already watch the final and I got out and i have fun on all that night.


englishman
23/07/2019 10:52
Algeria
Manchester City
1734

I have watched the Africa Cup of Nation.
my favorite moments when Algeria won all its matches.
I have already watch the final and I got out and i have fun on all that night.

Rich's picture
Rich
23/07/2019
ES
594
points

Congratulations Englishman! Algeria deserved to win the tournament!

We will have more about Algeria's success in our next episode!

If you want to tell us about your night out, that is the task in this week's podcast! You can find it here:

https://premierskillsenglish.britishcouncil.org/skills/listen/podcasts/english-uk-newcastle

Rich - The Premier Skills English Team


Rich's picture
Rich
23/07/2019 11:44
Spain
Liverpool
594

Congratulations Englishman! Algeria deserved to win the tournament!

We will have more about Algeria's success in our next episode!

If you want to tell us about your night out, that is the task in this week's podcast! You can find it here:

https://premierskillsenglish.britishcouncil.org/skills/listen/podcasts/english-uk-newcastle

Rich - The Premier Skills English Team

elghoul's picture
elghoul
17/07/2019
DZ
3988
points

Guesses and bets are hotting up in the entire Africa these days. Who would win the African Cup this year?

I do confirm what I predicted in the beginning, Algeria will win three nile this time. And we will not wait for any blunder to get the winner.

The Algerian players will benefit from that result in this transfer window. Ismel Bennacer as well as Brahimi or Boudaoui will make great deals without any doubt.


elghoul's picture
elghoul
17/07/2019 13:35
Algeria
Manchester City
3988

Guesses and bets are hotting up in the entire Africa these days. Who would win the African Cup this year?

I do confirm what I predicted in the beginning, Algeria will win three nile this time. And we will not wait for any blunder to get the winner.

The Algerian players will benefit from that result in this transfer window. Ismel Bennacer as well as Brahimi or Boudaoui will make great deals without any doubt.

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1Alex_from_Ukraine6578
2mobeckham6539
3hsn5560
4wsanta5086
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6Liubomyr4417
7elghoul3988
8assemjuve3705
9aragorn19863557
10Gergő Nagy3396
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1Colombia74676
2Ukraine33885
3Spain29525
4Serbia27426
5Brazil23505
6Albania20578
7Vietnam20460
8Turkey20111
9Macedonia19074
10Bosnia and Herzegovina16333
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1Manchester United146938
2Liverpool111453
3Chelsea90265
4Arsenal86299
5Manchester City58908
6Tottenham Hotspur19499
7Newcastle United10626
8West Ham United7701
9AFC Bournemouth4915
10Crystal Palace4568

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Average: 3 (1 vote)

Goals

Improve your football English.

Practise your listening skills.

Make your prediction for next week's big match.