A Chinese podcast · Same story, 4 levels
世界杯八强赛：梅里诺补时绝杀，西班牙二比一力克比利时进四强
Spain Beats Belgium 2–1 to Reach Semi-Finals
About this story
A medium Chinese listening lesson on the World Cup quarter-finals, in spoken style: Ruiz's opener, De Ketelaere's quick equalizer, and super-sub Merino's 88th-minute winner (his second late winner in a row) send Spain past Belgium 2-1. Talk on patience and a lucky charm. HSK 3 Chinese listening practice.
This is an HSK 3-4 Chinese listening episode that runs about 3 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 豪门、巅峰对决、拉锯战 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.
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原文Read the complete story in Chinese. Reveal pinyin and English only when you need them.
English transcript reference
Today let's talk about a stirring World Cup quarter-final: Spain beat Belgium two to one with a stoppage-time winner to scrape into the semi-finals.
This was a top-level showdown between two powerhouses, and a contest of patience and perseverance.
First, a word on Spain.
Spain are one of the youngest, most energetic teams of this World Cup.
With refined possession play, they like to control the game with one short pass after another, representing the future of soccer.
Their opponents Belgium are the renowned "Red Devils of Europe," packed with stars, and likewise one of the title favorites of this World Cup.
Alright, into the game.
This was always going to be an evenly matched, hard-fought battle.
In the thirtieth minute, Spain broke the deadlock first, Ruiz taking his chance to score — one to zero.
However, Belgium's response was very swift.
Just eleven minutes later, in the forty-first, De Ketelaere leveled it for his team — one to one.
The first half ended at one to one, honors even.
In the second half, the two sides waged a fierce see-saw battle, both searching for the winning goal, but both defenses were very solid, and the score stayed unchanged for a long time.
Just as everyone assumed the game would be dragged into extra time, that familiar hero appeared once more.
In the eighty-eighth minute, substitute Merino seized a chance in a scramble and, on the rebound, poked the ball into the net — two to one!
Spain's last-gasp winner.
Worth noting: in the last round, knocking out Portugal, it was also Merino who scored the winner in the final moments.
He has, it seems, become Spain's "super-sub" and lucky star.
This late goal shattered Belgium completely.
With little time left, they were in the end powerless to turn it around.
So, how should this game be judged?
For Spain, this is a win of great patience and maturity.
Against a strong Belgium, they didn't grow anxious; they stuck to their possession game and firmly seized that fleeting chance.
A Spain that is both young and knows how to win is, without doubt, very fearsome.
For Belgium, this defeat is unbearably cruel.
As a powerhouse with a golden generation, they once again fell at the final moment in a crucial knockout.
Though they played no worse, they still couldn't rewrite their fate, which is truly a pity.
That's Spain two to one Belgium, a game belonging to Spain, and to Merino.
See you next match.
Listen again
Try it without the transcript and notice what sounds clearer.
What vocabulary does this episode teach?
词汇实力和名气都很大的强队。这是两大豪门之间的对决。
两个最强者之间的较量。这是一场巅峰对决。
双方来回争夺、僵持不下。两队展开了激烈的拉锯战。
球被挡出后再补上一脚射门。他一脚补射，皮球钻入球门。
最后时刻打进、直接锁定胜局。西班牙在最后时刻绝杀。
替补上场却总能改变比赛的球员。他成了西班牙的超级替补。
成语。机会一晃就没了。牢牢抓住那稍纵即逝的机会。
* beyond level超纲词
What grammar patterns appear in this episode?
语法仅仅…后，就…
'Just … later, …' — a very quick response.
仅仅十一分钟后，德凯特拉雷就扳平了比分。
值得一提的是…
'Worth mentioning is …' — flags a notable fact.
值得一提的是，上一轮也正是梅里诺打进了制胜球。
又一次在…倒下
'Fell once again at …' — a recurring painful pattern.
他们又一次在关键的淘汰赛里倒在了最后一刻。
Proper nouns
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