New record for most consecutive wins in men’s soccer
Listen to the story (Australian accent)
Last week, the soccer team Al-Hilal from Saudi Arabia won their 28th match in a row. They beat Al-Ittihad 2-0 in the AFC Champions League.
This win broke the old record of 27 wins in a row. The New Saints, a Welsh team, set that record in their 2016/17 season.
Before that, the team Ajax from the Netherlands had the record for 44 years. They won 26 games in a row from 1971 to 1972.
Jorge Jesus, the manager of Al-Hilal, was very happy and thanked everyone at the club.
Next, Al-Hilal will play in the semi-finals of the AFC Champions League. Al-Hilal is also in first place in the Saudi Pro League. They are 12 points ahead of Al-Nassr, Cristiano Ronaldo’s team.
Al-Hilal did very well this year without their star player, Neymar. Neymar had surgery on his knee in November.
Olympique Lyonnais Féminin, a women’s team, still has the record for the most wins in a row in soccer. They won 41 games in a row between 2012 and 2013.
Vocabulary16 words
- Match
- A match is a game or contest between two teams or individuals where they try to win by playing a sport
- In a row
- something happening a number of times, one after the other; consecutively; in succession
- Beat
- to defeat an opponent or win a competition; to win a match/game against another person/team
- Break a record
- better or more extreme than anything that has come before
- Record
- the most or least ever; the highest level ever; achieved/done for the first time.
- Welsh
- from or relating to the country Wales
- Set a record
- to achieve/do something better or more significant than anyone has done before; the most or least ever measured
- Season
- a time period or time of year when a sport is played; a fixed/set number of games for one year of a sport
- Manager
- coach; the person who tells the players on a team what to do
- Club
- a soccer team
- Semi-final
- The game that comes before the final game in a tournament; the winners of semi-final games go the final game
- Place
- position or rank in a competition/tournament; 1st place, 2nd place, 3rd place, etc.
- Point
- A unit of scoring in a game; A score in a game or competition
- Ahead
- In front of or before someone else; In the lead, having more points than someone else
- Star
- a famous person; main actor in a show or movie; the best person; very famous
- Surgery
- a medical operation/action/procedure to repair or remove part of the body
Fill-in-the-blank listening
Play the audio again and fill in the missing words as you listen.
Last _____, the soccer team Al-Hilal from Saudi Arabia won their _____ match in a row. They beat Al-Ittihad 2-0 in the AFC Champions _____.
This win broke the old _____ of 27 wins in a row. The New Saints, a Welsh team, set that record in _____ 2016/17 season.
Before that, the team Ajax _____ the Netherlands had the record for 44 years. They won _____ games in a row from 1971 to 1972.
Jorge Jesus, the _____ of Al-Hilal, was very happy and thanked everyone at the _____.
Next, Al-Hilal will _____ in the semi-finals of the AFC Champions League. Al-Hilal is also in first _____ in the Saudi Pro League. They are _____ points ahead of Al-Nassr, Cristiano Ronaldo’s team.
Al-Hilal _____ very well this year without their star player, Neymar. Neymar had _____ on his knee in November.
Olympique Lyonnais Féminin, a _____ team, still has the record for the most wins in a row in _____. They won 41 games in a row between _____ and 2013.
Discussion questions
- Why do you think Al-Hilal won so many games in a row?
- How important do you think a manager is to a soccer team’s success?
- What do you think are the biggest challenges for a team trying to win so many games in a row?
- Even though Neymar wasn't playing, Al-Hilal is still winning. Does a team always need a star player to be successful? Why or why not?
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