A Chinese podcast · Same story, 4 levels
5:23
世界杯：先落后后逆转，替补翁达夫梅开二度助德国二比一胜科特迪瓦
Behind Then Ahead: Undav's Brace Wins It for Germany, 2–1
用简单中文回顾一场真实的世界杯比赛：科特迪瓦先进球，替补翁达夫梅开二度，德国读秒逆转二比一获胜提前出线。含生词、语法和全文翻译，适合初级中文学习者。
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 实力、进攻、紧张 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 really exciting World Cup match.
This match is Germany versus Ivory Coast.
Let's give the result first: Germany won, two to one.
But this win didn't come easily at all.
Because Germany was behind at first and only turned it around to win at the end.
Let's first talk about the two teams.
Germany is a very famous, very capable team.
At the World Cup, Germany has always been a team people favor.
Ivory Coast comes from Africa; they're physically strong and run fast too.
Although not as famous as Germany, they're not easy to deal with at all.
So in this match, Germany actually had to be very careful.
After the match began, everyone assumed Germany would score first.
But unexpectedly, the one to score first was Ivory Coast.
Ivory Coast seized a chance and put the ball into Germany's goal.
One to zero — Ivory Coast led first.
Having scored this goal, Ivory Coast's players were especially happy.
For Germany, this was not good news.
They had wanted to win, but now they were behind first.
"Behind" means having a lower score than the other side.
After falling behind, Germany started to get anxious.
They had to score and pull the score back.
So Germany attacked forward again and again.
They passed and shot, trying every way to score.
Germany's ball was in Ivory Coast's half most of the time.
You could say that, by the run of play, Germany had the upper hand.
But soccer is about goals, not who plays more.
Ivory Coast defended well, the area packed with men.
They dropped back, protecting their goal together.
No matter how Germany played, they just couldn't break through.
Germany played a long time and still couldn't score.
The minutes ticked by, and the score was still one to zero.
The Germany fans in the stands were all very tense.
Everyone was thinking: can Germany still win today?
Right at this moment, Germany brought on a new player.
This player is named Undav.
A substitution means taking a player off the pitch and putting another on.
Unexpectedly, the moment Undav came on, he changed the match.
First he seized a chance and scored a goal.
One to one — the two teams were back on the same line.
Germany's fans suddenly had hope again.
The match went on to the very end, still one to one for both teams.
Just as a draw seemed certain, Undav stepped up again.
Near the end of the match, he scored another goal.
This was already his second goal of the day.
Two to one — Germany finally went ahead, taking the lead.
"Going ahead" means being behind and then overtaking the other side.
This goal came at a crucial moment, because the match was about to end.
Ivory Coast had no time left to catch up.
In the end, the match finished two to one, and Germany won.
Winning this match was very important for Germany.
Because of this victory, Germany reached the next round early — the knockout stage.
The biggest hero today, without question, was Undav.
He came on as a substitute, yet scored two goals all by himself.
Scoring two goals in one match is called "méi kāi èr dù" in Chinese.
It's a very common phrase, used specially to praise a player who scored twice.
Undav's brace this time was truly excellent.
It was he who rescued Germany from being behind.
Of course, Ivory Coast also played tenaciously.
They scored first and fought all the way to the end, deserving respect.
Actually they nearly held on for a point.
It's just that in the final minutes, they were broken by Undav.
For Ivory Coast, this result was a bit of a shame.
It's just that today, Germany's luck and quality were both a bit better.
Actually, this is the charm of soccer.
Even falling behind first, you might have the last laugh.
Alright, that's the Germany versus Ivory Coast match.
Germany beat Ivory Coast two to one and qualified early.
They fell behind first but turned it around to win — really not easy.
Substitute Undav's brace made him the biggest hero of the match.
A match like this is truly a thrill to watch.
Thank you for listening; see you next time.
Try it without the transcript and notice what sounds clearer.
考纲词. 德国是一支很有实力的球队。
考纲词. 看台上的德国球迷都很紧张。
考纲词. 这个球进得太关键了。
考纲词. 科特迪瓦拼到最后，值得尊重。
往前踢，想进球，就是进攻。
比赛中途才上场的球员，就是替补。
本来落后，后来又超过了对方，就是反超。
* beyond level超纲词
没想到…
'Unexpectedly …' marks a surprising turn.
没想到，翁达夫一上场就改变了比赛。
眼看就要…
'Just as … was about to happen' builds tension before a turn.
眼看就要平局了，翁达夫又站了出来。
梅开二度
A set phrase meaning a player scored two goals in one match.
替补翁达夫梅开二度。
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