A Chinese podcast · Same story, 4 levels
7:05
世界杯小组赛：韩国门将致命失误，罗莫破门，墨西哥一比零取胜、成首支出线球队
World Cup: Kim's Costly Error, Romo's Goal — Mexico Beat South Korea 1-0 to Become the First Team Through
母语级中文世界杯战报：东道主墨西哥在瓜达拉哈拉迎战韩国，下半场韩国门将出击脱手，罗莫推射空门，墨西哥一比零取胜、登顶小组，并成为本届世界杯首支提前晋级淘汰赛的球队。含生词、语法和全文英文翻译。
This is an HSK 5-6 Chinese listening episode that runs about 7 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 晋级、荣誉、著称 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.
Mexico edged South Korea one to nil, and the meaning of this match was actually far more than just three points.
It was precisely on the strength of this precious win that Mexico became the first team at this World Cup to qualify early and advance to the next round.
At this World Cup, Mexico is one of three hosts, and this match was played in the Mexican city of Guadalajara.
Being able to play a World Cup in their own country, under the gaze of their own fans, is an enormous honor for the whole Mexico team.
And for precisely that reason, they especially craved winning this vitally important match with their own hands, in front of their home fans.
And their opponents in this match, South Korea, were likewise a team by no means to be underestimated.
South Korea is a strong side of real quality from Asia — fast, energetic in their running, tenacious in style, and never an easy opponent.
In recent years, South Korea has consistently been known on the World Cup stage for their unyielding spirit.
Precisely because the two teams were so close in quality, before the game neither dared declare that it would surely take the win.
However, for Mexico, playing at home was both an enormous advantage and at the same time a weighty pressure.
A full house of fans was roaring them on, but at the same time, everyone was eagerly expecting a win.
Should they play poorly, the psychological pressure the players would bear is easy to imagine how great it would be.
At the start of the match, both teams looked extremely cautious and careful.
With one accord, they chose to make their defending solid first, neither willing to push up and take risks lightly.
Through the entire first half, the two teams went back and forth, with attack and defense on both ends, but neither managed to score.
At the end of the first half, the score on the pitch still stood firmly at nil-nil.
The fans in the stands couldn't help feeling a little anxious, all wondering inside: who exactly could break this dull deadlock first?
Not long after the second half began, the moment that would decide the whole course of the match finally arrived.
And this time, the problem lay precisely with South Korea's goalkeeper.
At that moment, a high ball that wasn't originally especially hard to deal with flew toward South Korea's goal.
South Korea's goalkeeper chose to come out decisively, wanting to hold the ball firmly in his own hands.
However, he couldn't hold the ball securely, and it suddenly slipped right out of his grasp.
For a goalkeeper, this was without doubt a rather fatal and quite vexing mistake.
And Mexico's player Romo happened to be right nearby at this moment.
His reaction was extremely quick; he didn't let this fleeting, precious chance slip, and slotted the ball into the unguarded open goal.
In a football match, a chance like this often just flashes by in an instant; whether you can take it comes entirely down to a player's instinct and reactions.
And Romo seized precisely this lightning-fast split second, and seized it cleanly.
One to nil — and just like that, off their opponent's mistake, Mexico took a vitally important lead.
For Mexico's fans, this goal was simply too exciting, and the whole stadium erupted in an instant.
After taking the lead, Mexico played with more composure and more confidence.
They put more of their energy into solidifying their defense, firmly guarding their own goal.
And the trailing South Korea, of course, were unwilling to lose this match like this.
After falling behind, they began to throw everyone forward, single-mindedly determined to pull the score back.
They organized attack after attack, making plenty of trouble for Mexico's back line.
Every South Korea player gave their all, and their running on the pitch was very active.
However, Mexico's defending performed extraordinarily stubbornly, denying their opponent for a long time.
The whole team dropped back, guarding their fortress fiercely with packed numbers and firm will.
Mexico's keeper also made a few steady, reliable saves, putting the fans in the stadium considerably at ease.
The minutes ticked away, yet South Korea's wave after wave of attacks never brought even a single goal.
In the end, the match finished at one to nil, and Mexico steadily held on to a hard-won victory.
And for Mexico, there was actually an even bigger, even more thrilling piece of good news today.
After winning this match, they became the first team of all the competing sides to advance early to the next round.
That is to say, Mexico had already secured a precious place in the knockout stage ahead of time.
For a host team, this was without doubt a near-dreamlike, ideal result.
They not only won the match in front of their own fans, but also completed their goal of qualifying from the group ahead of time.
This also means that in the matches ahead, they can play with more composure and more relaxation.
Of course, the South Korea side that lost the match actually didn't play badly at all.
They lost by just one goal the whole match, and that conceded goal really was somewhat regrettable.
Just imagine: if not for the goalkeeper's mistake, the final result of this match might have looked completely different.
After the match, people's discussion naturally revolved around the game.
Some sincerely praised Mexico as quite steady and mature throughout, as hosts.
Others felt sorry for South Korea, believing they actually played well and lost this game a little unjustly.
Actually, this is exactly the most cruel and yet most fascinating thing about the sport of football: sometimes, just one small mistake is enough to decide the final outcome of a whole match.
This also reminds everyone on the pitch once again that, no matter when, they must stay highly focused from start to finish.
And for the special position of goalkeeper, this point is especially important.
For Mexico, being able to win another match and lock up a place in advance is without doubt a dreamlike start.
And for South Korea, the group stage has, after all, only just begun, and they still have a chance to fight to advance.
A one-nil game, with both the hosts' steadiness at home and the deep regret brought by a single mistake — and this is exactly the World Cup's own unique charm.
For Mexico's fans, this night of qualifying early is destined to become an immensely beautiful memory.
And for those who love watching football, getting to see a host nation open so smoothly at home is itself a delight to behold.
Of course, this match also makes one understand once again: on the World Cup stage, any single detail can become the key that decides victory or defeat.
For precisely that reason, every team and every player must give their all, not letting any chance slip, and not committing any fatal error.
Alright, that's the whole story of this Mexico versus South Korea match. Until next time.
Try it without the transcript and notice what sounds clearer.
墨西哥成为第一支提前出线、晋级下一轮的球队。
对墨西哥全队来说，是一份巨大的荣誉。
韩国一直以坚韧不拔的精神而著称。
HSK 1-4. nature; natural.
HSK 1-4. speed.
口语。主场作战，也是一种沉甸甸的压力。
考纲词。韩国的守门员选择果断出击。
考纲词。这是一个相当致命、也相当令人懊恼的失误。
成语。他抓住了这电光火石般的一瞬。
书面语。死死地守护着自己的城池。
* beyond level超纲词
而这一次，恰恰…
'and this time, it was precisely …' — pinpoints the cause.
而这一次，问题恰恰出在了韩国的守门员身上。
试想，如果不是…，…
'just imagine, if it weren't for …, …'.
试想，如果不是守门员的那一次失误，这场比赛的最终结果，或许就会是完全不同的另一番模样。
既是…，同时也是…
'is both …, and at the same time …'.
主场作战既是一种巨大的优势，同时也是一种沉甸甸的压力。
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