A Chinese podcast · Same story, 4 levels
6:08
世界杯：镰田上田连续破门，日本四比零横扫突尼斯提前晋级淘汰赛
Kamada and Ueda Fire Japan Into the Last 32 With a 4–0 Win Over Tunisia
中级中文听力：回顾世界杯日本四比零横扫突尼斯。镰田闪击破门，上田梅开二度，日本进攻行云流水提前晋级淘汰赛，突尼斯遗憾出局。含生词、语法与全文翻译。
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 7 key vocabulary words such as 代表、默契、被动 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.
Japan beat Tunisia 4-0, a match in which an Asian team played at a high level.
A big score like 4-0 shows Japan played almost perfectly this match, while Tunisia suffered a painful defeat.
Let's first get to know the two teams.
Japan comes from Asia, is one of the faces of Asian soccer, and is one of the fastest-improving teams in recent years.
Most of their players play in Europe's top leagues — technically refined, tireless runners, and seamless in their overall combination.
At recent World Cups, Japan has performed well, even beating some traditional powers.
Their opponent Tunisia, from Africa, is also a capable, physically strong team.
However, before this match, Tunisia's situation was not optimistic.
They'd already run into trouble in the group stage, and if they lost this one, they'd very likely be eliminated early.
For exactly this reason, Tunisia badly wanted a good result in this match.
For them, this was almost a win-or-bust game.
However, once the match actually got going, the pitch was nearly a one-sided Japan show.
Just a few minutes in, Japan's player Kamada scored first, taking an early lead.
This very early goal threw Tunisia into a passive position at once.
They'd wanted to steady themselves and get their defense right first, but didn't expect to concede so quickly.
For a team that had to win, falling behind in the opening minutes was undoubtedly a heavy blow.
Their original plan was thrown into disarray almost in an instant.
After taking the lead, Japan didn't let up — instead, they played even more confidently.
Before long, their player Ueda scored a second goal, stretching the score to two to zero.
Japan's attack came in wave after wave, their passing fast and accurate, their movement very smart.
They didn't rush into wild kicks but kept patient possession, slowly looking for gaps in Tunisia's defensive line.
Facing such methodical attacking, Tunisia's defense gradually struggled to cope.
At the end of the first half, Japan led firmly two to zero.
After the break, Japan still firmly held the initiative on the pitch.
They soon scored another goal, making it three to zero.
And late in the second half, Ueda stepped up again, scoring his second goal of the day.
This goal was just as beautiful — he got ahead of the defender and put the ball accurately into the net.
Two goals showed his excellent form today to the fullest.
A player scoring two goals in one match has a vivid name in Chinese: "méi kāi èr dù" (a brace).
Ueda's brace was undoubtedly one of the biggest highlights of Japan's big win.
Four to zero — Japan turned this match into a thoroughly enjoyable rout.
So why did Tunisia lose so badly?
For one, Japan was in such great form today, with extremely high attacking efficiency, converting almost every threat into a goal.
For another, Tunisia's attack never found answers; facing Japan's solid defense, they could hardly create real chances.
When one team plays with flowing ease while the other can't get going, a big score is often produced like this.
In the end, the match finished four to zero, and Japan had the last laugh.
For Japan, this victory was no ordinary one.
With this big win, they locked up a qualifying spot early, advancing smoothly from the group stage to the knockout round.
The knockout round is different from the group stage: lose one match and you head home, so every game is crucial.
Qualifying early and winning so beautifully undoubtedly boosted the whole Japan team's confidence greatly, and they can now prepare more calmly for the matches ahead.
And for Tunisia, this was a rather cruel result.
Losing this crucial match meant they were eliminated early, and their World Cup journey ended right there.
For Tunisia's players and fans, it was undoubtedly a sad night.
But soccer is just like this: where some have the joy of advancing, others feel the regret of going out.
After the match, the discussion mostly centered on Japan's brilliant performance.
Some marveled that Japan played to the highest level of an Asian team today, letting the whole world see the progress of Asian soccer.
Others sent their applause to Ueda for his brace, calling him the deserved hero of this big win.
In fact, as an Asian fan, seeing Japan play so excellently at the World Cup is itself something to be happy about.
It makes more people believe that Asian teams are fully capable of producing their own brilliance on the World Cup stage.
Of course, Japan knows clearly too that the knockout-round opponents will get stronger, and today's ease doesn't mean it'll be easy later.
The real test often doesn't arrive until the more crucial matches ahead.
But in any case, qualifying early with such a big win has already added plenty of belief and confidence.
For fans who love Japan, this was undoubtedly a happy night worth savoring.
Alright, that's the whole story of the Japan versus Tunisia match; see you next time.
Try it without the transcript and notice what sounds clearer.
考纲词. 日本是亚洲足球的代表之一。
考纲词. 球员之间配合非常默契。
考纲词. 日本今天的进攻效率极高。
考纲词. 对突尼斯来说，这是一个残酷的结果。
只能跟着对方走，很不主动。早早丢球让突尼斯很被动。
放松、不再用力。领先后日本没有松懈。
防守之间的空隙。日本慢慢寻找防线的空当。
* beyond level超纲词
并没有…，反而…
'Did not …, but instead …' marks an unexpected turn.
取得领先后，日本并没有松懈，反而踢得更自信。
当…时，…往往…
'When …, … often …' states a general tendency.
当一支球队行云流水时，大比分往往就这样产生。
有人…，就有人…
'Where some …, there are others who …' pairs two sides.
有人晋级的喜悦，就有人出局的遗憾。
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