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Liverpool captain, Jordan Henderson, lifts the Champions League trophy.

Cup Finals: Wins for Liverpool & Chelsea!

Cup Finals: Wins for Liverpool & Chelsea!

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. 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: Liverpool win Champions League Final!

Rich: Liverpool beat Spurs 2-0 to be crowned European Champions for the sixth time. The Reds were fast out of the blocks and won a controversial penalty after only 23 seconds. Mohamed Salah tucked it away and Liverpool never looked back. Despite fighting bravely Spurs couldn’t get back into the match and Divock Origi made the game safe when he scored in the 87th minute.

Jack: Huge crowds celebrate Liverpool win!

Rich: Liverpool players and staff were cheered on by an estimated 750,000 fans in Liverpool on Sunday afternoon. The victory parade was a sea of red as flares, chanting and singing followed the open-top bus around the city.

Jack: Chelsea sink Arsenal in Baku!

Rich: Chelsea beat Arsenal 4-1 in the Europa League Final. After a quiet first half, the game exploded in the second with Olivier Giroud, Pedro and an Eden Hazard brace enough to see Chelsea crowned champions and deny Arsenal a Champions League spot.

Jack: What a win for Liverpool. Only Real Madrid and AC Milan have more European CUps than Liverpool now.

Rich: It was a very professional performance. Spurs tried hard but with Allison and Virgil van Dijk at the back Liverpool had enough to win.

Jack: And what a celebration in Liverpool - three-quarters of a million people on the streets. Liverpool only has a population of half a million!

Rich: I know. Very special.

Vocabulary alert!

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

Rich: Our six words and phrases this week are: to crown, to be fast out of the blocks, to tuck away, to make the game safe, to be cheered on and a brace.

Jack: Let’s start with to crown. A crown is a thing a king or queen puts on their head. It’s usually goals with lots of jewels in it. The verb ‘to crown’ means the act of placing the crown on someone’s head to make that person king or queen.

Rich: In sports, rather than to become king or queen it means to become a champion - to win an event. We said that Liverpool have been crowned Champions of Europe.

Jack: The next phrase is to be fast out of the blocks. This phrase comes from athletics. The blocks are the starting blocks where sprinters like Usain Bolt start the race from.

Jack: If we say someone is fast out of the blocks it means they have started a competition or a race really well. We could also say someone is slow out f the blocks if they have started badly.

Rich: The next phrase is to tuck away. This phrase, in general, means to keep in a safe place. You might tuck away some money in case you need a bit extra in the future.

Jack: For a striker in a game of football, the safest place is the back of the net. If we say ‘he tucked it away’ it means he scored a goal.

Rich: The next phrase is to make the game safe. This phrase is used in football to describe a goal that makes the score two or three nil late in the game and means a comeback from the other side is very unlikely.

Jack: We said that Divock Origi made the game safe when he made it 2-0 in the 87th minute.

Rich: The next phrase is to be cheered on. To cheer means to shout in a happy way. Fans cheer when their team scores a goal.

Jack: The phrasal verb to cheer on is similar but in addition means to encourage a person or a team. The Liverpool team was cheered on by 750,000 fans in Liverpool as the parade went around the city.

Rich: Our final word this week is a brace. A brace is an old fashioned word to mean a pair - two of something.

Jack: Eden Hazard scored a brace against Arsenal. He scored two goals.

Rich: 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.

Jack: The words and phrases are: to crown, to be fast out of the blocks, to tuck away, to make the game safe, to be cheered on and a brace.

Football Awards

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

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

Jack: All of our awards this week come from two matches. The Champions League Final and Europa League final that involved our Premier League clubs.

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. We’re obviously looking at Chelsea and Liverpool players here but a shout out to Tottenham’s Danny Rose and Arsenal’s Peter Cech, in his last game as a professional footballer, who were unlucky to finish on losing sides.

Rich: Right, Player of the Week. Looking at the Champions League Final, I’m thinking defenders. Trent Alexander Arnold and Joel Matip had good games and Allison made some important saves.

Jack: But there was a standout performance in the Europa League FInal so our Player of the Week is Eden Hazard. Two goals and one assist but is that the last time we will see him in a Chelsea shirt?

Rich:  The next award is for Team of the Week. Liverpool or Chelsea? Well, Chelsea’s win was more impressive but it has to go to the team that has won the Champions League - Liverpool.

Jack: Goal of the Week. Well, we have six to choose from and we’re going to give it to one of the teams that finished on the losing teams. Alex Iwobi’s strike for Arsenal may only have been a consolation goal but it was a fantastic hit.

Matchweek Prediction 

Jack: Every week, Rich predicts the result of one weekend match. The Premier League season is over, we’ve done the Champions League Final … is there any more football this season?

Rich: Of course there is! There is the Nations League FInals, the Women’s World Cup, the Copa America and Africa Cup of Nations. All of them involving players from Premier League clubs.

Jack: OK, RIch. This week is the Nations League Finals. There are four teams in it. Portugal, Switzerland, the Netherlands and England. Who is going to win it?

Rich: This is a new competition and nobody is sure how important it is yet but all four countries that have qualified will see it as a good chance to win an international trophy. The first semi-final is Portugal, captained by Cristiano Ronaldo with Manchester CIty’s Bernardo Silva, Danilo and four Wolves players against Switzerland with Liverpool’s Xherdan Shaquiri and Arsenal’s Granit Xhaka. I think Portugal will win this. The second semi-final is between England and the Netherland’s who include Liverpool’s Virgil van Dijk and Georginio Wijnaldum. I think the Netherlands will come out on top in this one. This means a Portugal - Netherlands final and I think the host nation will win it. Final score: Portugal 2-1 Netherlands.

Jack: I think England will beat Portugal in the final 1-0. You heard it here first!

Rich: Right, that’s all we have time for. I hope you have enjoyed this football round-up. Join the discussion at the bottom of the page on the Premier Skills English website. 

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

Rich: Bye for now and enjoy your football.

Results

Champions League Final

Liverpool 2-0 Tottenham

Europa League Final

Chelsea 4-1 Arsenal

Headlines

Liverpool win Champions League Final!

Mohamed Salah scores from the penalty spot in the Champions League Final.

Liverpool beat Spurs 2-0 to be crowned European Champions for the sixth time. The Reds were fast out of the blocks and won a controversial penalty after only 23 seconds. Mohamed Salah tucked it away and Liverpool never looked back. Despite fighting bravely Spurs couldn’t get back into the match and Divock Origi made the game safe when he scored in the 87th minute.

Headlines

Huge crowds celebrate Liverpool win!

Over 750,000 Liverpool fans joined the club's players and staff on their victory parade in the city.

Liverpool players and staff were cheered on by an estimated 750,000 fans in Liverpool on Sunday afternoon. The victory parade was a sea of red as flares, chanting and singing followed the open-top bus around the city.

Headlines

Chelsea sink Arsenal in Baku!

Chelsea won the Europa League after a 4-1 win against Arsenal.

Chelsea beat Arsenal 4-1 in the Europa League Final. After a quiet first half, the game exploded in the second with Olivier Giroud, Pedro and an Eden Hazard brace enough to see Chelsea crowned champions and deny Arsenal a Champions League spot.

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?

The verb ‘to crown’ is the act of placing a crown on someone’s head to make that person king or queen. In sports, it means to become a champion - to win an event. We said that Liverpool have been crowned Champions of Europe.

Out of the blocks is a phrase from athletics. If we say someone is fast out of the blocks it means they have started a competition or a race really well. Liverpool were fast out of the blocks and won a penalty in the first minute.

Mohamed Salah tucked away the penalty. He put the ball in the net.

To make the game safe is used to describe a goal that makes the score two or three nil late in a match and means a comeback from the other side is very unlikely. Divock Origi made the game safe when he made it 2-0 in the 87th minute.

To cheer means to shout in a happy way. Fans cheer when their team scores a goal. To cheer on is similar but in addition means to encourage a person or a team. The Liverpool team was cheered on by 750,000 fans.

A brace is an old fashioned word to mean a pair - two of something. Eden Hazard scored a brace against Arsenal. He scored two goals.

Liverpool players looking very happy!

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: Eden Hazard (Chelsea)

Team of the Week: Liverpool

Goal of the Week: Alex Iwobi (Arsenal)

Eden Hazard scored a brace in the Europa League Final.

The Big Match

Nations League: Portugal, Switzerland, the Netherlands & England

The Premier League season has finished but the football season isn't over yet. This week its the Nations League Finals! Rich thinks Portugal will win the tournament but Jack thinks England will come out on top. Who do you think will win?

What are your predictions? 

Liverpool captain, Jordan Henderson, lifting the Champions League trophy.

Five Questions

What do you think?

Jack and Rich have spoken about the Champions League and Europa League finals. Now it's your turn! Have a look at the questions and write your answers in the comments section below.

  1. Rich and Jack chose Chelsea's Eden Hazard as Player of the Week. Do you agree? 
  2. Jack and Rich selected Liverpool as their Team of the Week. Do you agree?
  3. Rich picked Alex Iwobi's long-range strike for Arsenal as Goal of the Week? Did you see it? Do you agree?
  4. Did you watch the Champions League Final? Did you watch the Europa League Final? What did you think?
  5. Use this week's vocabulary: Did Liverpool deserve to be crowned European Champions this season? Can you imagine being cheered on by over 750,000 people?

Don't forget to make your prediction for this week's Big Match!

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

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Comments

hsn's picture
hsn
01/02/2022
TR
5525
points

What do you think?
1.I follow (Champions- Europa) League matches and enjoy it.
Phrases
• League title has been crowned with national trophy.
• It's not polite trying to grab the ball from the goalie after tucked it away.
• Is it possible to make the game safe? I watched some matches that first half (2-0) score changed to (2-3) in favour of defeating team.


hsn's picture
hsn
01/02/2022 17:39
Turkey
Tottenham Hotspur
5525

What do you think?
1.I follow (Champions- Europa) League matches and enjoy it.
Phrases
• League title has been crowned with national trophy.
• It's not polite trying to grab the ball from the goalie after tucked it away.
• Is it possible to make the game safe? I watched some matches that first half (2-0) score changed to (2-3) in favour of defeating team.

hsn's picture
hsn
01/02/2022
TR
5525
points

Hi Jack! I'd like suggest a football phrase; when a player is on loan with a purchase option at the end of the season, it's called "Buy out" in English I think. Stay fit and healthy.
Note
I was very happy, when I read donedeals on the last day of the January transfer windows news that Danish International and my team Spurs ex-palyer Christian Eriksen got recovered and has been transferred to the Brentford F.C.


hsn's picture
hsn
01/02/2022 14:43
Turkey
Tottenham Hotspur
5525

Hi Jack! I'd like suggest a football phrase; when a player is on loan with a purchase option at the end of the season, it's called "Buy out" in English I think. Stay fit and healthy.
Note
I was very happy, when I read donedeals on the last day of the January transfer windows news that Danish International and my team Spurs ex-palyer Christian Eriksen got recovered and has been transferred to the Brentford F.C.

mobeckham's picture
mobeckham
07/06/2020
TR
6510
points

Congratulations for Liverpool


mobeckham's picture
mobeckham
07/06/2020 20:08
Turkey
Manchester United
6510

Congratulations for Liverpool

Tee
23/08/2019
JP
309
points

Yes, they did. They deserve to be crowned it.


Tee
23/08/2019 02:53
Japan
Manchester City
309

Yes, they did. They deserve to be crowned it.

QTN03's picture
QTN03
16/06/2019
VN
19
points

"Player of the Week: Eden Hazard (Chelsea)
Team of the Week: Liverpool
Goal of the Week: Alex Iwobi (Arsenal)"
I agree them all.
"Liverpool deserved to be crowned European Champions". There was no doubt about this statement. After an extraordinary return match, which was versus Barcelona in Anfield, Liverpool proved itself a new king of European clubs.
At champions League final, Tottenham was good, but Liverpool was very good. It seemed a match in Premier League in Madrid at all. I felt a little bored when watching the final. There were few interesting and "shocked" things there.
I wish I would have been in Liverpool to cheer on them. Joining in a stream of over 750,000 people will be a memorial party. I can't imagine how fantastic the cheering event with 750,000 people happened there. The city gets only 500,000 people living there, and the number come to cheer on Liverpool was 750,000. What's a huge event!


QTN03's picture
QTN03
16/06/2019 12:06
Vietnam
Liverpool
19

"Player of the Week: Eden Hazard (Chelsea)
Team of the Week: Liverpool
Goal of the Week: Alex Iwobi (Arsenal)"
I agree them all.
"Liverpool deserved to be crowned European Champions". There was no doubt about this statement. After an extraordinary return match, which was versus Barcelona in Anfield, Liverpool proved itself a new king of European clubs.
At champions League final, Tottenham was good, but Liverpool was very good. It seemed a match in Premier League in Madrid at all. I felt a little bored when watching the final. There were few interesting and "shocked" things there.
I wish I would have been in Liverpool to cheer on them. Joining in a stream of over 750,000 people will be a memorial party. I can't imagine how fantastic the cheering event with 750,000 people happened there. The city gets only 500,000 people living there, and the number come to cheer on Liverpool was 750,000. What's a huge event!

elghoul's picture
elghoul
07/06/2019
DZ
3988
points

1. Chelsea is always good when Hazard is on feet. I watched them on Europa Cup final and it is a pity for them letting Hazard join the Real Madrid.

2. Liverpool were the best this week.

3. Iwobi kicking in the last post with the left foot was worthy seeing even on TV screen.

4. These two all English finals are an historical step for the UK.

5. I have lived only one time more fans cheering up their team, it was Algerian people after the Sudanese victory trip against Egypt.

Prediction Netherland will win the Nations League title against Portugal 2.1.


elghoul's picture
elghoul
07/06/2019 16:51
Algeria
Manchester City
3988

1. Chelsea is always good when Hazard is on feet. I watched them on Europa Cup final and it is a pity for them letting Hazard join the Real Madrid.

2. Liverpool were the best this week.

3. Iwobi kicking in the last post with the left foot was worthy seeing even on TV screen.

4. These two all English finals are an historical step for the UK.

5. I have lived only one time more fans cheering up their team, it was Algerian people after the Sudanese victory trip against Egypt.

Prediction Netherland will win the Nations League title against Portugal 2.1.

Herbert Borges
07/06/2019
BR
1
points

I totally agree with Rick and Jack's chose: Eden Hazard was the best player of the week. A stunning show in Baku and unfortunately a memorable goodbye. Certainly Chelsea will miss him very much on next seasons. So the Premier League too.

About the Champions League final: Liverpool deserved to be crowned European Champions this season. Especially after that sad and unforgettable appearance in Champions League final last year.

Reds deserved another chance and they got it!


Herbert Borges
07/06/2019 00:59
Brazil
Chelsea
1

I totally agree with Rick and Jack's chose: Eden Hazard was the best player of the week. A stunning show in Baku and unfortunately a memorable goodbye. Certainly Chelsea will miss him very much on next seasons. So the Premier League too.

About the Champions League final: Liverpool deserved to be crowned European Champions this season. Especially after that sad and unforgettable appearance in Champions League final last year.

Reds deserved another chance and they got it!

Rafael Robson's picture
Rafael Robson
05/06/2019
BR
615
points

I agree with all your choices this week. Definitively Liverpool deserved to be crowned European Champions after a superb season.
I watched both finals and I was expecting more emotion; nonetheless it's always good to watch big decisions.
I think Portugal and England will play the Nations League final and I guess England will win.


Rafael Robson's picture
Rafael Robson
05/06/2019 22:33
Brazil
Tottenham Hotspur
615

I agree with all your choices this week. Definitively Liverpool deserved to be crowned European Champions after a superb season.
I watched both finals and I was expecting more emotion; nonetheless it's always good to watch big decisions.
I think Portugal and England will play the Nations League final and I guess England will win.

Liubomyr's picture
Liubomyr
05/06/2019
UA
4408
points

I predict Portugal vs. England final which will be decided in the penalty shoot-out, and my guess is that England should win that one.


Liubomyr's picture
Liubomyr
05/06/2019 13:27
Ukraine
Watford
4408

I predict Portugal vs. England final which will be decided in the penalty shoot-out, and my guess is that England should win that one.

Leaderboard

Top Scorers
RankNameScore
1mobeckham6510
2Alex_from_Ukraine6278
3hsn5525
4wsanta5086
5kwesimanifest4768
6Liubomyr4408
7elghoul3988
8assemjuve3705
9aragorn19863557
10Gergő Nagy3396
Country ranking
RankNameScore
1Colombia71478
2Ukraine33300
3Spain28277
4Serbia27289
5Brazil23896
6Albania20578
7Vietnam19939
8Turkey19810
9Macedonia19074
10Bosnia and Herzegovina16333
Club ranking
RankNameScore
1Manchester United141846
2Liverpool110282
3Chelsea88559
4Arsenal85717
5Manchester City56951
6Tottenham Hotspur19169
7Newcastle United10457
8West Ham United7454
9AFC Bournemouth4454
10Crystal Palace4240

Level

3
Average: 3 (1 vote)

Goals

Improve your football English.

Practise your listening skills.

Make your prediction for next week's big match.