Lille Host Lens in the 125th North Derby
Listen to the story
Lille will play Lens today. This is a football game in Ligue 1, the top league in France.
The game is the 9th match of the season. People call this game the derby. A derby is a match between two close teams. Lille and Lens are cities near each other in the north of France.
This is the 125th time these two teams play this derby. It is a very old and famous match.
Both teams have new coaches. A coach is the person who leads the team. The coaches are new, so this is their first big derby.
Many players are hurt on both teams. We say the teams have full infirmaries. An infirmary is where hurt players rest and get help.
Lens fans cannot go to the game. There is no away support for Lens this time.
Because of new coaches and injuries, people talk less about the big rivalry. A rivalry is when two teams or groups compete strongly. This time, the football itself is more important than the rivalry.
Vocabulary6 words
- Ligue 1
- the top football league in France
- derby
- a game between two teams from the same area
- coach
- the person who trains and leads a sports team
- infirmary
- a place where hurt people get care
- away support
- fans who travel to watch their team play in another city
- rivalry
- strong competition between two teams or people
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Quiz
Answer key
1. Lille and Lens 2. The 125th 3. No
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Fill-in-the-blank listening
Play the audio again and fill in the missing words as you listen.
Lille will play Lens today. This is a football game in _____, the top league in France.
The game is the 9th match of the season. People call this game the _____. A derby is a match between two close teams.
This is the 125th time these two teams play this _____. It is a very old and famous match.
Both teams have new _____. A coach is the person who leads the team.
Many players are hurt on both teams. We say the teams have full _____.
Lens fans cannot go to the game. There is no _____ for Lens this time.
Because of new coaches and injuries, people talk less about the big _____.
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