Corinthians Congratulates Palmeiras on 112th Anniversary
Listen to the story
Corinthians, one of the biggest football clubs in Brazil, has publicly congratulated its rival Palmeiras on its 112th anniversary.
In a message shared online, Corinthians described the matches between the two clubs as the 'biggest derby in the world.' A derby is a match between two teams that share a strong rivalry, often from the same city.
Corinthians and Palmeiras are two of the most popular teams in São Paulo, and their matches are known for creating strong emotions among fans.
Meanwhile, Palmeiras had another emotional moment this week. Head coach Abel dedicated a recent victory to Lito Sousa, a member of the club connected to the team.
Abel reportedly told Sousa to 'continue until the end,' offering support during a difficult time, as Sousa is currently dealing with an illness.
Before Palmeiras played against Santos, another major Brazilian club, the team gave Sousa a special tribute to honor him in front of fans.
The gesture was seen as a touching moment amid the usual competitive tension between Brazilian football clubs.
Fans on social media praised both events — the friendly message between rivals and the emotional tribute — as good examples of sportsmanship in Brazilian football.
Palmeiras and Corinthians remain fierce competitors on the field, but this week's events showed a moment of mutual respect between the two clubs.
Vocabulary10 words
- anniversary
- the day when something important happened in the past
- derby
- an important match between two rival teams
- rivalry
- a strong, long competition between two teams or people
- dedicate
- to give something, like a win, as a special gift to someone
- tribute
- something done to show respect and honor for someone
- sportsmanship
- fair and respectful behavior in sports
- gesture
- an action that shows a feeling, like kindness
- illness
- a sickness or health problem
- competitive
- wanting strongly to win against others
- mutual
- shared equally between two sides
Quiz
Answer key
1. To congratulate them on their anniversary 2. He dedicated a victory to him 3. True
Fill-in-the-blank listening
Play the audio again and fill in the missing words as you listen.
Corinthians, one of the biggest football clubs in Brazil, has publicly _____ its rival Palmeiras on its 112th anniversary.
In a message shared online, Corinthians described the matches between the two clubs as the 'biggest _____ in the world.'
Corinthians and Palmeiras are two of the most popular teams in São Paulo, and their matches are known for creating strong _____ among fans.
Meanwhile, Palmeiras had another emotional moment this week. Head coach Abel _____ a recent victory to Lito Sousa.
Abel reportedly told Sousa to 'continue until the end,' offering support during a difficult time, as Sousa is currently dealing with an _____.
Before Palmeiras played against Santos, the team gave Sousa a special _____ to honor him in front of fans.
The gesture was seen as a touching moment amid the usual _____ tension between Brazilian football clubs.
Fans on social media praised both events as good examples of _____ in Brazilian football.
Discussion questions
- Why do you think rival sports teams sometimes send friendly messages to each other?
- How do tributes to players, like the one given to Lito Sousa, affect team spirit?
- Do you think rivalries in sports can exist alongside respect? Why or why not?
- What role do fans play in creating and maintaining football rivalries like this one?