A Chinese podcast · Same story, 4 levels
世界杯淘汰赛：少打一人，美国二比零击败波黑
World Cup Knockout: Down to Ten Men, USA Beat Bosnia 2-0
About this story
An easy Chinese listening lesson on the World Cup knockouts: Balogun scores then is sent off, and USA hold on with ten men before Tillman's free-kick seals a 2-0 win over Bosnia. HSK 2 vocabulary on red cards, defending, and teamwork.
This is an HSK 2 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 团结、容易、但是 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 at your level
原文Read the complete story in Chinese. Reveal pinyin and English only when you need them.
English transcript reference
Today we're talking about a World Cup knockout game: the USA beat Bosnia two to zero.
The USA won this game the hard way, because for most of it they had only ten players.
First, a word on the background.
This game was played in the USA — it was the USA's home game.
As one of this World Cup's hosts, many American fans came to the ground to cheer.
Near the end of the first half, the USA scored first.
The scorer was their forward, Balogun.
A forward is the player who stands furthest up front and is there to score goals.
One to zero, the USA led first, and the fans were all happy.
But the game soon changed.
In the sixty-fourth minute, Balogun went in too strong in a challenge and stepped on an opponent.
The referee watched a replay and gave him a red card.
A red card means a player's foul was so serious that he must leave the field at once.
Just like that, the USA were a man down, with only ten players left.
Ten men against eleven is a big disadvantage.
For the rest of the game, the USA could only defend for their lives.
Bosnia attacked again and again, trying to level the score.
But the USA players were very united and defended without a single gap.
In the eighty-second minute, the USA got a free-kick chance.
Tillman stepped up, and with a lovely free-kick the ball sailed over the wall and flew into the goal.
Two to zero!
A man down, the USA had scored again.
This goal all but sealed the win.
In the end, the USA withstood all the pressure and won the game.
So, how should we view this game?
For the USA, this is a very meaningful win.
Still winning while a man down shows they are very united, and full of fight.
Actually, the USA hadn't won a World Cup knockout game in a long time.
So this win is especially precious to them.
For Bosnia, losing is of course a shame.
They had a man more, yet never managed to score, which is truly a pity.
But that's soccer: sometimes having more men doesn't necessarily win you the game.
That's USA two to zero Bosnia, a game that belonged to unity and perseverance.
See you next match.
Listen again
Try it without the transcript and notice what sounds clearer.
What vocabulary does this episode teach?
词汇考纲词。大家一条心、一起努力。他们非常团结。
HSK 1-2. easy.
HSK 1-2. but; however.
HSK 1-2. because.
在自己国家、自己的球场踢球。这是美国的主场。
站在最前面、专门负责进球的球员。巴洛贡是美国的前锋。
犯规太严重，球员必须马上离场。裁判给了他一张红牌。
* beyond level超纲词
What grammar patterns appear in this episode?
语法因为…，…
'Because…, …' — gives the reason for a difficulty.
美国赢得非常不容易，因为他们大部分时间只有十个人。
少打一个人还能…
'Can still … even a man down' — achieving something despite disadvantage.
少打一个人还能赢球。
有时候…，也不一定…
'Sometimes …, and not necessarily …' — an outcome isn't guaranteed.
有时候人多，也不一定能赢。
Proper Nouns
专有名词Free account
Keep learning from this story
Create a free account to keep saved words and your preferred level together.
- Keep words with their story context
- Remember your preferred level
- Build your vocabulary over time