Learn English Through Football Podcast: Clinch the title

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Learn English Through Football Podcast: Clinch the title

In this football language podcast we look at the phrase, ‘to clinch the title‘ after Botafogo’s first ever win in the 2024 Copa Libertadores final last weekend. We also have some language from the FA Cup and we look forward to this weekend’s football in our predictions competition – including a London derby and the final Merseyside derby at Goodison Park. You can read the transcript for this podcast below, while you can also check out our glossary of footballing phrases here and visit our site to access all our previous posts and podcasts. If you have any suggestions or questions then you can contact us at admin@languagecaster.com.

Hello

DF: You’re listening to language caster’s Learning English Through Football Podcast.

Hello everyone and welcome to the show for all those who love the beautiful game of football and who want to improve their English language skills. My name is Damian and I am based in London where the weather has been quite stormy! I wonder what the weather is like in Tokyo, Japan where of course the other member of the Languagecaster team Damon is based. We’ll be hearing from Damon later on in the show when he gives us his predictions for some of the big games this weekend and I wonder if he’ll let us know what the weather is like in Tokyo too!

Stinger: You are listening to languagecaster.com (in Italian)

DF: That message was in Italian and we’ll be hearing some more languages throughout the show. Try and guess which ones they are (don’t worry, we’ll give you the answers at the end of the show).

Stinger: You are listening to languagecaster.com (in Korean)

Today’s Show

Now, what else do we have on today’s show? Well, we will look back at some of the language from the 2024 Copa Libertadores final between Botafogo and Atlético Mineiro which was won of course by Botafogo in dramatic style. We’ll also be looking at some language from the FA Cup in England, which is the oldest competition in football, and in particular at language around the word, ‘draw’. And then, of course, we’ll look give you some predictions from some of the big games this weekend.

Stinger: You are listening to languagecaster.com (in Thai)

To Clinch the Title

Embed from Getty Images

Botafogo clinched the first Copa Libertadores in their 123-year history with an incredible victory over Brazilian rivals Atletico Mineiro (BBC.co.uk, Dec 1st 2024

DF: Let’s take a look at the phrase ‘to clinch the title’. The verb ‘to clinch‘ means to succeed in doing something and so in football if a team clinches a title it means that they have won the title; they have been successful in their season or tournament. For example, Manchester City clinched their first Champions League title in 2023, while Real Madrid clinched their 15th Champions League title last season. I wonder who will clinch the Champions League title this season?

We should also congratulate LA Galaxy who clinched the MLS title this weekend – well done to them.

Now, in this season’s Copa Libertadores final, held in Buenos Aires, Rio de Janeiro side Botafogo won their first ever continental title by defeating Atlético Mineiro (they’re from the south of Brazil); they beat them 3-1 in an amazing match. Botafogo clinched the title in dramatic style. They were reduced to ten men after only two minutes when their midfield player Gregore was shown a red card for a dangerous or reckless challenge. After this, they defended in numbers and then scored on the break before doubling their lead from the penalty spot just before half time. Atlético Mineiro pulled one back in the second half but the Rio side hung on and even managed to score a late goal from substitute Junior Santos to run out 3-1 winners. So, we can say that the substitute’s goal clinched the game or clinched the title for Botafogo.

Stinger: You are listening to languagecaster.com (in Dutch)

It was a wonderful game with lots of incidents and I think Botafogo, who are on the verge of winning the Brazilian title this weekend, deserved their win; well done to them on clinching the title.

Now, with this win, Botafogo will also participate in the revamped Club World Cup competition next year in the USA. The draw for this tournament took place this week and remember that a draw is how organisers decide which teams play against each other. So, Botafogo have been drawn with PSG, Atletico Madrid and Seattle Sounders in Group B. This means that they will play against these three teams in the group stage of the tournament.

Stinger: You are listening to languagecaster.com (from in Portuguese from Brazil)

FA Cup Third Round Draw

Embed from Getty Images

Now, we have just mentioned the draw that took place this week for the Club World Cup but there was another big draw this week here in England: the Third Round FA Cup draw, which is when the bigger teams enter the competition and so today we are going to look at the phrase ‘Third Round Draw’.

So, the word ‘draw’ refers to the way in which teams know who their opponents are going to be in a tournament. In a knock-out competition like the FA Cup the teams are drawn from a bag to see which teams play each other and which teams are playing at home or away. The Third Round Draw is a big deal in England as it involves 64 teams: 20 from the Premier League; 24 from the Championship (that’s tier 2) and then 30 other teams from various leagues – remember that the FA Cup qualifying rounds start way back in July with lots of non-league clubs.

So, this round can throw up some really interesting ties when smaller teams (or minnows) play against bigger teams or favourites. And this means they can receive a big pay out (that is, they can earn a lot of money) and of course they might also be able to cause an upset. The Third Round of the cup usually takes place in early January and is a big or important date in the football calendar as lots of fans from around the country love watching the big teams travelling to smaller grounds or venues.

This year’s Third Round Draw has some wonderful games including Arsenal hosting last year’ winners Manchester United and Manchester City playing against local side Salford FC from League Two – I’m not sure there’ll be an upset there but you never know! League leaders Liverpool will also play a League Two side: Accrington Stanley. But perhaps the stand-out tie of the round, that’s the game that most people want to see, sees Premier League Tottenham travel to non-league side Tamworth who are currently 16th in the National League and that’s the fifth tier of English football. This is a real David and Goliath tie with the Premier League team expected to win but in the Cup nobody knows what might happen which of course is the Romance of the Cup! Will Spurs slip up? Well, with no replays and penalties an option on the day (plus of course Tottenham’s inconsistent nature) it means that anything is a possibility!

Stinger: You are listening to languagecaster.com (in Irish)

Glossary

Yes, you can find out more about some of the words and phrases that we have already discussed in today’s show, as well as hundreds more football expressions and cliches by coming along to our football-language glossary.

Stinger: You are listening to languagecaster.com (in French)

Predictions

DF: Right, let’s take a look at some of the big games this weekend in our predictions. And just to let you know that Damon’s predictions were given before we knew that the Merseyside derby had been postponed due to the storms here in the UK. Here’s Damon.

Stinger: You are listening to languagecaster.com (in Spanish)

Contact

DB: Right, it’s nearly the end of the show, but before we go, remember if you have any questions about the language of football or comments on the podcast, you can contact via email at admin@languagecaster.com. Also, don’t forget our football-language forum where you can ask and answer any questions you have on the language of football. And as Damian said, we have a massive glossary of football vocabulary too, just come along to languagecaster.com. And finally, if you like what we do, consider telling a friend, following us on social media, liking our podcasts, etc. Your support is very important for us!

Stinger: You are listening to languagecaster.com (in Bemba)

Goodbye

DF: Thanks for that message, which was in Bemba. We also heard some stingers in Italian, Spanish, Thai, Dutch, French and Korean. How many of those did you guess right?

Now, I mentioned last week that we have been making some changes at Languagecaster and in particular some behind the scenes changes which hopefully means things will be a little quicker. You might notice a couple of other new features including the fact that we are now doing two shows a week. This one will continue to come out before the weekend football and will include some language and of course some predictions. The other show will appear each Monday and will feature a football expression from the week. So, last week Damon talked about the phrase ‘on toast’. Let us know what you think and let others know!

Thanks everyone for listening today – we looked at the phrases, ‘to clinch the title’ and also ‘the FA Cup draw’. Let us know if you hear these expressions, in any language, during this week’s football. And don’t forget there’s a transcript for this podcast with lots of vocabulary support for you. Enjoy all the football this weekend and we’ll be back early next week with a new football language expression. Bye bye!

Football Language Glossary