A Chinese podcast · Same story, 4 levels
5:08
世界杯：门将神勇比利时射门二十余次，伊朗零比零逼平强敌
23 Shots, No Goal: Iran's Keeper Inspires a 0–0 Draw With Belgium
用简单中文回顾一场真实的世界杯比赛：比利时射门二十余次却颗粒无收，伊朗全队死守、门将神勇扑救，零比零逼平强敌拿到一分。含生词、语法和全文翻译，适合初级学习者。
This is an HSK 2 Chinese listening episode that runs about 5 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 冒险、宝贵、本事 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.
Today we're going to talk about a very special World Cup match.
This match is Belgium versus Iran.
Let's give the result first: the two teams drew zero to zero, neither scoring.
You might think: isn't a zero-zero boring?
Actually no — this zero-zero was especially thrilling.
Because it told a story of tenacious defending.
Let's first talk about the two teams.
Belgium comes from Europe and is one of the strongest teams in the world.
They have many famous stars and a fearsome attack.
Iran comes from Asia and isn't as famous as Belgium.
However, Iran has always been known for good defending and is very hard to break down.
Before the match, almost everyone thought Belgium would win.
As the match began, Belgium attacked constantly.
They kept the ball at their feet, firing at Iran's goal again and again.
Crosses, shots, corners — Belgium used every method there is.
They say that over the whole match, Belgium took more than twenty shots in all.
Taking that many shots is already no easy feat.
You should know that in an ordinary match, getting a dozen-odd shots is already plenty.
Taking more than twenty shows Belgium actually didn't play badly.
By the run of play, they almost completely dominated Iran.
But the ball just wouldn't go in.
Why?
Because Iran defended too well.
The whole team dropped back, protecting their goal together.
Every one of them fought hard, and no one gave up.
And the most crucial was Iran's goalkeeper.
A goalkeeper is the person who stands in front of the goal, specially to block shots.
Today, Iran's goalkeeper was simply incredible.
Belgium's shots flew at the goal time and again.
He dived out time and again, keeping the ball out.
Some shots were fast and tough, and he stopped them all too.
With each save, Iran's fans shouted in excitement.
You could say that he alone held off Belgium's attack.
It was precisely because of him that Belgium couldn't break through at all.
Midway through the match, something else happened.
A Belgium player was sent off for a foul.
In soccer, a player who is sent off can't come back, and can't be replaced.
That is to say, Belgium had only ten men left.
By rights, with one fewer man, Belgium should find it harder to score.
For Iran, the chances seemed to grow.
But Iran played steadily and weren't in a hurry to take risks.
Their thinking was clear: defend first, don't concede, and they could take a point.
And so the minutes ticked by.
Belgium kept attacking, but still couldn't score.
In the end, the match finished zero to zero.
For Belgium, this result was a bit disappointing.
They took so many shots, yet didn't score a single goal.
But for Iran, this was a very good result.
Facing such a strong Belgium, they held their goal and earned a precious point.
A "point" is the score you get from a match; a draw earns one point.
For Iran, this one point was so meaningful.
For many big teams, one point may be nothing.
But for a team like Iran, this point is like a medal.
After the match, many people praised Iran.
Some said they exchanged a whole match of effort for this precious point.
Some said Iran's defending was so tenacious, and the goalkeeper especially heroic.
Others said Belgium were a bit unlucky, with so many shots yet no goal.
Actually, this is the interesting part of soccer.
Whether or not you score often matters more than how many times you shoot.
No matter how beautifully a team plays, if they can't take their chances, it's hard to win.
And even a slightly weaker team, as long as they defend well, can earn a point all the same.
Playing a lot doesn't necessarily mean you'll win; defending well is a skill too.
Alright, that's the Belgium versus Iran match.
The two drew zero to zero, and Iran held on tenaciously to earn a point.
Their goalkeeper became the brightest star of the whole match.
Thank you for listening; see you next time.
Try it without the transcript and notice what sounds clearer.
考纲词. 伊朗踢得很稳，没有急着去冒险。
考纲词. 这一分对伊朗太宝贵了。
考纲词. 守得好，也是一种本事。
HSK 1-2. interesting.
守住自己的球门，就是防守。
守门员把球扑出来，就是扑救。
牢牢占上风，让对方很难受。比利时几乎压制住了伊朗。
* beyond level超纲词
你可能会觉得…，其实…
'You might think …, but actually …' overturns an assumption.
你可能会觉得零比零没意思，其实这场特别精彩。
往往比…更…
'Often more … than …' makes a comparative judgment.
能不能进球，往往比射了多少次门更重要。
哪怕…，也…
'Even if …, still …' concedes a point yet keeps the result.
哪怕踢得再漂亮，把握不住机会也很难赢。
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