Practice English with NewsPractice with News
Sports131 words1 min read

Four Teams Reach Semi-Finals of Japan's National Junior High Football Championship

Black and white view of three large semi-trucks parked
Photo by Breno Burnett on Unsplash
0:00 / 0:00

Listen to the story

Four school football teams are in the semi-final of a big Japanese tournament. The teams are Shizuoka Gakuen, Seibo Gakuen, Kamimura Gakuen, and Kyoto Seika Gakuen.

This is a national tournament for junior high school students. The semi-finals are on the 21st.

Each team needs two more wins to be champion. The two games are Shizuoka Gakuen against Seibo Gakuen, and Kamimura Gakuen against Kyoto Seika Gakuen.

One player is special. His name is Aoto Higashiguchi. He plays goalkeeper for Kamimura Gakuen.

He made many good saves in his game. Even the other team's coach was surprised.

His father is also a goalkeeper. His father plays for a team called Gamba Osaka.

Aoto said he must play very well. He wants to be better than his father one day.

Vocabulary7 words

semi-final
a game before the last, final game
tournament
a group of games to find one winner
national
about the whole country
champion
the winner
goalkeeper
the player who stops the ball at the goal
save
when a goalkeeper stops the ball from going in
coach
the person who trains a team

Quiz

1. How many teams reached the semi-finals?
2. What position does Aoto Higashiguchi play?
3. Where does Aoto's father play?

Fill-in-the-blank listening

Play the audio again and fill in the missing words as you listen.

Four school football teams are in the _____ of a big Japanese _____.

The teams are Shizuoka Gakuen, Seibo Gakuen, Kamimura Gakuen, and Kyoto Seika Gakuen.

This is a _____ tournament for junior high school students. The semi-finals are on the 21st.

Each team needs two more wins to be _____.

One player is special. His name is Aoto Higashiguchi. He plays _____ for Kamimura Gakuen.

He made many good _____ in his game. Even the other team's _____ was surprised.

His father is also a goalkeeper. His father plays for a team called _____.

Aoto said he must play very well. He wants to be better than his father one day.

More Sports stories