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THE WORLD CUP (FOOTBALL/SOCCER) 3


Choose the best response for each sentence.

The World Cup: Vocabulary 3

level: B2/C1

1. If a team works incredibly hard and gives maximum effort, fans might say they “left it all on the ________.”
2. When a player accidentally kicks the ball into their own team's goal, it's called an “________ goal.”
3. A match with no goals scored by either team is often described as “________-nil.”
4. If a team is expected to lose but still has a real chance of winning, they are called the ________.
5. “It's not over until the final ________!” is a common saying about not giving up too early.
6. A goalkeeper who doesn't let the other team score any goals in a match is said to have kept a “________ sheet.”
7. When commentators say a player “found the back of the ________,” they mean the player scored a goal.
8. If you regularly cheer for and follow a particular team, you are a ________ of that team.
9. Before kickoff, the two team captains meet for the ________ to decide which side starts with the ball.
10. After an extremely exciting and close match, commentators might call it a “________.”
Did you know? Football (soccer) has given English many expressions that are now used far beyond the sport — even by people who never watch a match. If someone says a situation is “a different ball game” or that the rules have been changed unfairly by “moving the goalposts,” they're borrowing language straight from football. Learning these idioms doesn't just help you enjoy the World Cup — it helps you understand everyday English conversations, news headlines, and informal writing too.


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