FOOTBALL NEWS: GRADED READING

CEFRL A2/B1 Level Summary

Real Madrid produced a big comeback from two goals down to beat Liverpool 5-2 at Anfield in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie. Liverpool had a quick start, scoring the fastest goal ever at Anfield in the Champions League after just four minutes. They then doubled their lead after a mistake by Real goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois.

But Real quickly turned things around, scoring two goals to level the match by half-time. A header from Eder Militao and two goals from Karim Benzema in the second half ensured that Liverpool now face a tough task to reach the quarter-finals.

Exercise: put the following words in the correct order

1. Liverpool start had quick a 

2. mistake Thibaut Courtois A by goalkeeper Real 

3. Karim Benzema from Eder Militao and two A header from goals 

Answers:

1. Liverpool had a quick start

2. A mistake by Real goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois

3. A header from Eder Militao and two goals from Karim Benzema 

CEFRL B1/B2 Level Summary

Real Madrid produced a stunning comeback to defeat Liverpool 5-2 in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie at Anfield. Liverpool took an early lead after a superb Darwin Nunez flick, before doubling their lead after a mistake from Real goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois.

However, Real turned the match around, with Vinicius Jr. scoring two goals to level the match by halftime. In the second half, a header from Eder Militao and two goals from Karim Benzema secured the victory for Real, leaving Liverpool with a monumental task to reach the quarter-finals.

Exercise: put the following words in the correct order

1. Liverpool early an took lead after superb Nunez Darwin flick a

2. The match Real turned around

3. Real secured Karim goals for Benzema two from the victory

Answers:

1. Liverpool took an early lead after a superb Darwin Nunez flick

2. Real turned the match around

3. two goals from Karim Benzema secured the victory for Real

CEFRL C1 Level Summary

Real Madrid produced a devastating 5-2 victory over Liverpool in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie at Anfield, coming back from two goals down to secure the win. After Liverpool took the lead with the fastest goal ever scored at Anfield in the Champions League, Real goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois made a horrendous mistake to allow Mohamed Salah to score the second.

However, Real responded just as they did on several occasions en route to their 14th European Cup crown last season, with Vinicius Jr. scoring two goals, one sublime and one a fluke, to level the match by halftime. A bullet header from Eder Militao completed the turnaround early in the second half, before two goals from Karim Benzema sealed the win for Real.

Exercise: put the following words in the correct order

1. last season route did just as their several Real they on occasions European Cup en 14th

2. turnaround from Militao Eder header bullet A completed the

3. Real sealed Karim goals for Benzema two from the win

Answers:

1. just as they did en route to their 14th European Cup last season

2. A bullet header from Eder Militao completed the turnaround

3. two goals from Karim Benzema secured the victory for Real

CEFRL B1: Barcelona has recently been revealed to have paid €7m to former referee José María Enríquez Negreira, which has caused a lot of questions and controversy. This news came to light when the tax office revealed payments of €532,728, €541,752 and €318,200 made to a company owned by Negreira, who was a referee between 1977 and 1992, and then vice-president of the referees’ body from 1994 to 2018. The investigation started due to a lack of evidence of services being provided mentioned on the invoices, and during the investigation, it was revealed that Negreira had received a total of €7m from Barcelona over 20 years. Negreira said he provided verbal consultancy to Barcelona and that he had never been responsible for assigning them referees.

Here is a self-assessment exercise based on this text (answers at the bottom of this page):

Exercise 1 (Level B1):

Choose the best answer to complete the sentence:

Barcelona paid €7m to ___________.

a) a former player

b) a former referee

c) a former coach

d) a former manager

The investigation started because ___________.

a) there was evidence of services being rendered

b) there was a lack of evidence of services being rendered

c) there was evidence of corruption

d) there was a lack of evidence of corruption

Negreira claims that he ___________.

a) was responsible for assigning referees to Barcelona

b) provided verbal consultancy to Barcelona

c) was a player for Barcelona

d) was a coach for Barcelona

CEFRL B2: Barcelona's recent controversy surrounds revelations that they paid former referee José María Enríquez Negreira a staggering €7m, and the controversy only seems to be escalating. The story came to light after tax inspectors revealed payments made to a company owned by Negreira, who was a referee from 1977 to 1992 and then vice-president of the referees’ body from 1994 to 2018. The investigation started as there was no evidence of services being rendered, and during the investigation, it was revealed that Negreira had received a total of €7m from Barcelona over 20 years. Negreira stated that he provided verbal consultancy to Barcelona and had never been responsible for assigning referees to them. The news has caused outrage in the Spanish game, and many are scrambling to distance themselves from the blast.

Exercise 2 (Level B2):

Answer the following questions:

1. Who is José María Enríquez Negreira, and why is he in the news?

2. How did the investigation into Negreira's payments to his company start?

3. What did the investigation reveal about Negreira's payments from Barcelona?

4. What is Negreira's explanation for his payments from Barcelona?

5. What has been the reaction to this news in the Spanish football world?

CEFRL C1: The Spanish football world is currently reeling after allegations that Barcelona paid €7m to José María Enríquez Negreira, a former referee, came to light. The tax office discovered payments made to a company owned by Negreira, who was a referee from 1977 to 1992 and then the vice-president of the referees’ body from 1994 to 2018. The investigation started as there was no evidence of services being rendered, and during the investigation, it was revealed that Negreira had received a total of €7m from Barcelona over 20 years. Negreira stated that he provided verbal consultancy to Barcelona and had never been responsible for assigning referees to them. The news has caused a major scandal and prompted many to try to distance themselves from the fallout.

Exercise 3 (Level C1):

Match the following words/phrases with their meanings:

reeling

allegations

fallout

scandal

distancing themselves

a) distancing oneself from someone or something to avoid being associated with it

b) the negative consequences of an event or action

c) a shocking or immoral event that causes public outrage

d) feeling shocked, confused, and/or upset

e) claims or accusations that someone has done something wrong or illegal

Answer key:

Exercise 1:

b

b

b

Exercise 2:

Negreira is a former referee who has been paid €7m by Barcelona, which has caused controversy.

The investigation started because there was a lack of evidence of services being rendered on the invoices.

The investigation revealed that Negreira had received a total of €7m from Barcelona over 20 years.

Negreira claims that he provided verbal consultancy to Barcelona and was not responsible for assigning referees to them.

The news has caused a major scandal and prompted many to distance themselves from the fallout.

Exercise 3:

d

e

b

c

a

Original story: https://www.theguardian.com/football/2023/feb/20/barcelona-la-liga-xavi-hernandez-former-referee-payments-scandal

CEFR Level A2/B1:

During a soccer match between Paris Saint-Germain and Lille in Ligue 1, Neymar scored a goal for his team, but then he got hurt. Lille's Benjamin Andre made contact with Neymar, and he landed on his ankle. The doctors had to take him away on a stretcher, and he couldn't finish the game. Neymar had this same ankle injury before, when he played in the World Cup.

Paris Saint-Germain is not doing well in the Champions League. They lost 1-0 to Bayern Munich, and they have a tough challenge ahead of them if they want to advance to the next round. Some people are criticizing Neymar for not being committed to his job because he went to a poker game and a fast-food restaurant after the game against Bayern Munich. However, the coach spoke with Neymar and defended him.