A Chinese podcast · Same story, 4 levels
5:21
世界杯：南非终场前点球扳平，一比一逼平捷克
World Cup: A Late Penalty Earns South Africa a 1-1 Draw With Czechia
用简单的中文听一场真实的世界杯比赛：捷克的萨迪莱克开场闪击，南非落后整场，靠莫科埃纳终场前的点球扳平，一比一逼平捷克。含拼音生词、语法和全文英文翻译。
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 10 key vocabulary words such as 结果、机会、冒险 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 let's talk about a World Cup match.
This match was Czechia against South Africa.
Let's start with the result: the two teams drew, one to one.
Czechia comes from Europe and is a team with some quality.
Their players are technically good and combine well.
South Africa comes from Africa and has improved a lot in recent years.
South Africa's players are physically strong and run energetically.
The two teams are actually similar in quality.
So before the match, no one could say for sure who would win.
This match was played in Atlanta in the United States, with many fans there.
Right at the start of the match, Czechia gave everyone a surprise.
Just a few minutes in, Czechia scored first.
The scorer was Czechia's player Sadilek.
One to nil — Czechia led very early.
Scoring so early was good news for Czechia.
The match had only just begun, and they already had the upper hand.
Czechia's fans were happy; they thought: we should win today.
For South Africa, this was a rough start.
Behind after just a few minutes, they had to adjust right away.
Still, South Africa didn't panic at all.
They knew the match was still long and there were many chances left.
After falling behind, South Africa began to push forward, wanting to equalize.
They attacked again and again, making trouble for Czechia.
But Czechia defended well, and South Africa couldn't score.
And so the score stayed one to nil.
At the end of the first half, Czechia was still ahead.
In the second half, South Africa played with more fight.
They made substitutions and stepped up their attack.
You could tell South Africa wanted the points from this match more than Czechia did.
Every one of South Africa's players was running their heart out.
Time after time they delivered the ball to Czechia's goalmouth.
They knew that if they didn't score, they would lose the match.
So they put all their strength into it.
But Czechia's defending was very stubborn.
The minutes ticked away, and South Africa still couldn't score.
With the match seemingly about to end, South Africa looked set to lose.
Right as the match was about to finish, the chance finally came.
South Africa won a penalty.
A penalty is a great chance to score.
The one who stepped up to take it was South Africa's player Mokoena.
He walked up to the penalty spot and took a deep breath.
Very calm, he slotted the ball into the goal.
The goalkeeper dived the wrong way, and the ball went in cleanly.
One to one — South Africa had equalized at the very last moment!
South Africa's players and fans were absolutely thrilled.
Because this goal came so late, and was so important.
They had been behind the whole time and only leveled the score at the end.
After this goal, the match soon ended.
In the end, the match finished one to one.
Each team earned one point.
For South Africa, this was a very good result.
Having been behind for so long, to still equalize at the end was extremely hard.
They didn't give up and battled all the way to the last moment.
This point was earned through their effort across the entire match.
For an African team, this kind of spirit is especially admirable.
For Czechia, this result was a bit of a shame.
They were ahead for most of the match and had a real chance to win.
Just a few minutes short, and they would have taken three points.
But in the end South Africa equalized, and they took only one point.
After the match, many people were talking about it.
Some said South Africa was tenacious and never gives up.
Others said Czechia couldn't hold on to their lead today, which was a shame.
Actually, this is the interesting thing about football.
Until the very last second, no one knows the result.
In recent years, African teams have improved fast and are harder and harder to deal with.
South Africa is a great example — they dare to fight and dare to chase.
For Czechia, not winning is a bit of a shame, but there are other group-stage matches, and they still have a chance.
For South Africa, this point is like a victory, and will give them more confidence.
Alright, that was the Czechia versus South Africa match.
One to one — a match remembered to the very end.
South Africa's last-moment penalty is unforgettable.
Thank you for listening — see you next time.
Try it without the transcript and notice what sounds clearer.
先说结果：两个队踢平了，一比一。
他们知道比赛还很长，机会还有很多。
比赛一开始，两个队都不敢冒险。
比赛刚一开始，捷克就给了大家一个惊喜。
这样的精神特别让人佩服。
考纲词。一比零，捷克很早就领先了。
考纲词。可是，捷克守得很好。
考纲词。一比一，南非在最后时刻追平了。
考纲词。南非得到了一个点球。
考纲词。有人说，南非很顽强，永远不放弃。
* beyond level超纲词
眼看着…，…
'with … about to happen, …' — builds tension.
眼看着比赛就要结束，南非好像要输了。
不到最后…，谁也…
'until the very end, no one …'.
比赛不到最后一秒，谁也不知道结果。
对…来说，…
'as for … / for …'.
对南非来说，这一分像是一场胜利。
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