Sturm Graz beats Marseille in Europa League
Listen to the story
Marseille (OM) suffered another defeat in the Europa League, losing 1-0 away to Sturm Graz. The result continues a difficult run for the French club in this European competition.
On the same matchday, Rennes managed to hold Juventus to a draw. Taking a point against a team like Juventus is seen as a positive result for the French side.
Marseille's defeat means the club is struggling in the group stage of the competition. The team has not been able to find consistent form away from home.
As a result, Marseille's coach, Fabian Genesio, now faces important decisions about how to improve the team's performance. Changes could be made to the lineup or tactics used in upcoming matches.
Meanwhile, Rennes will be encouraged by their performance against a strong Italian side. A draw against Juventus shows that the team can compete with some of Europe's top clubs.
Both French clubs will now turn their attention to their next matches in the competition, hoping to build on, or recover from, these results.
Vocabulary10 words
- Europa League
- a major football competition between European clubs
- competition
- an organized sports event where teams compete
- hold
- to stop the other team from winning
- coach
- the person who manages a sports team
- lineup
- the group of players chosen to play in a match
- tactics
- the plan or strategy used in a game
- defeat
- a loss in a game or competition
- form
- how well a team or player is currently playing
- group stage
- the early part of a competition before the finals
- side
- another word for a sports team
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Quiz
Answer key
1. 1-0 to Sturm Graz 2. They drew 3. He must decide how to improve the team's performance
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Fill-in-the-blank listening
Play the audio again and fill in the missing words as you listen.
Marseille (OM) suffered another _____ in the Europa League, losing 1-0 away to Sturm Graz. The result continues a difficult run for the French club in this European _____.
On the same matchday, Rennes managed to _____ Juventus to a draw. Taking a point against a team like Juventus is seen as a positive result for the French side.
Marseille's defeat means the club is struggling in the _____ of the competition. The team has not been able to find consistent _____ away from home.
As a result, Marseille's _____, Fabian Genesio, now faces important decisions about how to improve the team's performance. Changes could be made to the _____ or _____ used in upcoming matches.
Meanwhile, Rennes will be encouraged by their performance against a strong Italian _____.
Discussion questions
- Why do you think consistent results away from home are important in competitions like the Europa League?
- What kinds of decisions might a coach make after a difficult result, such as Marseille's loss?
- Do you think a draw against a strong team like Juventus can be considered a good result? Why or why not?
- How might fans react differently to Marseille's loss compared to Rennes' draw?
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