Lens Beat PSG to Win the Trophée des Champions
Listen to the story
Lens have won the Trophée des Champions, beating Paris Saint-Germain in a hard-fought match.
The Trophée des Champions is an annual French football match. It is played between the champions of the previous season's league and cup competitions.
Lens, nicknamed the 'Sang et Or' (Blood and Gold) because of their team colours, managed to win the title with strong effort and determination.
Head coach Dino Toppmöller praised his players after the win. He said that the atmosphere created by the fans had helped the team enormously.
According to Toppmöller, the energy and support from the crowd played a big role in the team's success on the pitch.
On the other side, PSG player Achraf Hakimi expressed his frustration about the result.
Hakimi criticised what he called a lack of impartiality during the match, meaning he felt the game was not judged fairly.
He said that his team lost the Supercup for reasons that were beyond their control.
This suggests that Hakimi believes outside factors, rather than just performance, affected the final result.
Despite Hakimi's comments, Lens's win is being seen as a courageous triumph for a team that is not usually considered one of France's biggest clubs.
The match has added to the excitement around the new football season in France.
Fans of Lens have been celebrating the victory, which is an important achievement for the club.
Vocabulary5 words
- determination
- trying very hard to do something difficult
- frustration
- feeling upset because something did not go well
- impartiality
- being fair and not favouring one side
- triumph
- a great and important win
- annual
- happening once every year
Quiz
Answer key
1. An annual match between league and cup champions 2. The fans' atmosphere 3. A lack of fairness in the match
Fill-in-the-blank listening
Play the audio again and fill in the missing words as you listen.
Lens have won the Trophée des Champions, beating Paris Saint-Germain in a _____ match.
The Trophée des Champions is an _____ French football match.
It is played between the champions of the previous season's league and _____ competitions.
Lens, nicknamed the 'Sang et Or', managed to win the title with strong effort and _____.
Head coach Dino Toppmöller praised his players after the _____.
He said that the atmosphere created by the _____ had helped the team enormously.
PSG player Achraf Hakimi expressed his _____ about the result.
Hakimi criticised what he called a lack of _____ during the match.
He said that his team lost the Supercup for reasons that were beyond their _____.
Lens's win is being seen as a courageous _____ for the club.
Discussion questions
- Why do you think the atmosphere in a stadium can affect how a team plays?
- Do you agree with Hakimi that outside factors can affect the result of a match? Why or why not?
- What does it mean for a team to win 'with courage'?
- Why might winning a trophy be especially meaningful for a club like Lens?