A Chinese podcast · Same story, 4 levels
世界杯淘汰赛：落后两球，梅西领衔阿根廷三比二逆转埃及
World Cup Last 16: Two Goals Down, Messi Leads Argentina's 3-2 Comeback Over Egypt
About this story
An easy Chinese listening lesson on the World Cup last 16: Egypt lead 2-0 and even save a Messi penalty, but Romero, Messi and Enzo strike late as holders Argentina come back to win 3-2. HSK 2 vocabulary on a comeback, a saved penalty, and a record.
This is an HSK 2 Chinese listening episode that runs about 3 minutes. The full Mandarin script is shown with tap-for-pinyin and a line-by-line English translation, so you can listen and read at once — comprehensible input in the sense of Stephen Krashen's i+1 theory. It teaches 7 key vocabulary words such as 逆转、领先、点球 and walks through 3 grammar patterns, each explained in English with examples. The same news story is retold at 4 difficulty levels — use the level selector above to find the version that is challenging but still understandable for you.
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原文Read the complete story in Chinese. Reveal pinyin and English only when you need them.
English transcript reference
Today we're talking about a wild World Cup knockout game: Argentina came from behind to beat Egypt three to two.
In this game, Argentina very nearly lost.
First, a word on Argentina.
Argentina are the champions from the last World Cup, with the superstar Messi on the team.
Messi is one of the most famous players in the world.
Now a word on Egypt.
Egypt also have a superstar, named Salah, who is very famous.
Alright, let's look at the game.
The game was full of surprises right from the start.
In the fifteenth minute, Egypt scored first, the goal by Ibrahim.
Zero to one, Egypt led.
Even more surprisingly, Messi missed a penalty, saved by Egypt's goalkeeper.
In the second half, Egypt scored again — zero to two.
Egypt led by two goals, and Argentina looked set to lose.
The fans at the ground all thought Argentina were in danger this time.
But champions are champions, and Argentina didn't give up.
In the last dozen minutes of the game, a miracle happened.
In the seventy-ninth minute, Romero headed one in — one to two.
Just a few minutes later, Messi scored too — two to two!
Argentina had leveled the score, and the whole stadium went wild.
In the final moments of the game, Enzo scored again — three to two.
Argentina had completed a huge comeback!
In the end, Argentina won the game with a nervy finish.
So, how should we view this game?
For Argentina, this is a win that was both dangerous and great.
Two goals down and still able to turn it around at the end — that's a champion's quality and will.
And Messi's goal today was his twenty-first at a World Cup, breaking the record once again.
For Egypt, losing is truly such a shame.
They played very well, led by two goals for a while, and came close to winning.
Though they lost, their performance deserves respect.
That's Argentina three to two Egypt, a game belonging to Messi, and to a champion's will.
See you next match.
Listen again
Try it without the transcript and notice what sounds clearer.
What vocabulary does this episode teach?
词汇先落后，后来又反过来赢了。阿根廷逆转赢了埃及。
分数更多、走在前面。埃及领先了两个球。
一个人对着守门员踢。梅西罚丢了一个点球。
守球门的球员。埃及的守门员扑出了点球。
把落后的比分追成一样。阿根廷把比分追平了。
几乎不可能发生的好事。最后十几分钟，奇迹发生了。
最好的成绩、别人还没超过的数字。梅西又一次打破了纪录。
* beyond level超纲词
What grammar patterns appear in this episode?
语法更让人吃惊的是…
'Even more surprising is …' — escalates the shock.
更让人吃惊的是，梅西还罚丢了一个点球。
眼看就要…
'On the verge of…' — about to happen.
阿根廷眼看就要输了。
还能…，这就是…
'Can still …; this is …' — a feat that defines something.
落后两个球还能翻盘，这就是冠军的实力。
Proper Nouns
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