A Chinese podcast · Same story, 4 levels
6:07
世界杯：奥地利三比一胜约旦，时隔三十多年再尝胜果
World Cup: Austria Beat Jordan 3-1 for Their First Win in Over 30 Years
中级中文世界杯战报：施密德先拔头筹，约旦奥尔万攻入队史世界杯首球扳平，乌龙球与阿瑙托维奇补时点球助奥地利三比一取胜，结束三十多年世界杯不胜。含生词、语法和全文英文翻译。
This is an HSK 3-4 Chinese listening episode that runs about 6 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 10 key vocabulary words such as 背后、主动、机会 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.
Read the complete story in Chinese. Reveal pinyin and English only when you need them.
Austria beat Jordan three to one, and behind this match lie two stories about a "first time" and "many years."
For Austria, this was a victory more than thirty years overdue.
Until now, they had gone many years without winning a match at the World Cup, and this time, they finally did it.
And for Jordan, this was quite simply the first World Cup match in their country's history.
Just standing on the World Cup stage was, for Jordan's players and fans, a dream come true in itself.
So these two teams, who on paper look far from elite, both walked onto the pitch with special feelings.
One longed to end years of waiting; the other longed to write the first chapter of its own history.
This kind of backdrop gave an otherwise ordinary group-stage match plenty of extra intrigue and emotion.
From the start, Austria looked the more proactive side.
They had more of the ball, constantly looking for chances in front of Jordan's defense through their passing.
Jordan played relatively cautiously, first steadying their defending, then looking to launch counters.
This is a common strategy for the slightly weaker side when facing a strong team.
In the opening twenty minutes, the two sides went back and forth, and the match was full of intrigue.
Although Jordan were newcomers, they didn't look the least bit overawed, and a few counters even created threats.
However, in terms of overall organization and experience, Austria still had the edge.
In the 20th minute, Austria broke the deadlock first.
Their player Schmid seized a chance and finished, putting Austria one-nil ahead.
After the goal, Austria's fans were thrilled, sensing faintly that the long-awaited win might finally be coming.
Yet Jordan was not crushed by this conceded goal.
Just as the second half began, they delivered a response.
Jordan's forward Olwan seized a chance and scored, leveling the score at one-one.
This goal was extraordinary — it was Jordan's first ever goal in World Cup history.
For a nation, the first goal at a World Cup is something that will be remembered forever.
The Jordan fans in the stands erupted in an instant, many moved to tears.
In that moment, the score seemed not to matter; this goal alone was enough to make them proud.
After being pegged back, Austria felt the pressure.
They knew well that if they let themselves get bogged down like this, the win they'd waited thirty-odd years for would slip away again.
So they renewed their attacking, trying to take the lead once more.
In the 70-somethingth minute, the chance came.
An Austria attack caused chaos, and a Jordan defender accidentally knocked the ball into his own goal while trying to clear.
Such a goal is called an "own goal," and for Jordan it was without doubt a great shame.
Two to one — Austria reclaimed the lead.
Trailing again, Jordan could only throw everyone forward to chase a draw.
Unwilling to lose their World Cup debut like this, they committed more players to the attack.
However, on a football pitch it often goes like this: when you attack with everything, your back line also leaves gaps.
In stoppage time at the very end, Austria won a penalty.
The one who stepped up to take it was the team's veteran Arnautović.
Experienced and unfazed by the pressure, he made no mistake, sending the ball calmly into the net.
For a veteran like this, stepping up at such a crucial moment is exactly the expression of his value.
Three to one — Austria completely sealed this hard-won victory.
At the moment the final whistle blew, the whole Austria team erupted.
For them, this was not just three points, but the end of a wait that had lasted more than thirty years.
Many older fans had even waited most of their lives for this World Cup win.
In the stands, Austria's fans sang and danced, long reluctant to leave.
Of course, the losing side Jordan deserved respect all the same.
As World Cup newcomers, they scored a goal in their very first match and did not fear a strong opponent.
They battled from start to finish, and didn't give up until the very last moment.
For a team stepping onto the World Cup stage for the first time, this performance was already plenty to be praised.
After the match, people's discussions also revolved around these two teams.
Some sighed that Austria's win came so hard, with years of frustration and persistence behind it.
Others said Jordan's future is worth looking forward to; they've already taken an important first step.
Actually, this is exactly the moving thing about the World Cup: every team has a story of its own.
Some teams are waiting for a long-overdue victory; others are writing the first page of their own history.
For Austria, a winning start is an ideal beginning, and it also lifted years of mental baggage.
For Jordan, although they lost, the group stage has only just begun, and anything is possible.
They still have a chance to fight for their own first victory in World Cup history.
A three-one game that linked together two utterly different yet equally moving football stories.
Perhaps many years from now, when fans of both teams look back on this day, they'll all give a knowing smile.
One finally reached its victory, the other just began its journey — and that in itself is beautiful.
That's the whole story of this Austria versus Jordan match. See you next time.
Try it without the transcript and notice what sounds clearer.
这场比赛背后，藏着两个故事。
比赛一开始，奥地利就显得更加主动。
第七十多分钟，机会来了。
被扳平之后，奥地利感受到了压力。
HSK 1-3. country.
考纲词。一个渴望结束多年的等待。
考纲词。约旦则踢得相对谨慎。
考纲词。这是面对强队时常见的策略。
考纲词。这样的进球，被称为乌龙球。
考纲词。站出来主罚的，是球队的老将阿瑙托维奇。
* beyond level超纲词
对…来说，…
'as for … / for …' — marks whose perspective.
对奥地利来说，这是一场迟到了三十多年的胜利。
然而…
'however' — a formal contrast marker.
然而，约旦并没有被这个失球击垮。
当…时，…
'when …, …' — marks a condition/moment.
当你全力进攻时，后防线也会露出空当。
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