Sports: winning, losing, and scoring

A Winning and losing

Notice how these key words are used:

Spain beat Switzerland 3-2. (= Switzerland lost to Spain 3-2) In other words:
Spain won the match. (= Switzerland lost the match)
Spain defeated Switzerland. (= Switzerland were defeated by Spain)
Spain were the winners. (= Switzerland were the losers)
If both teams or players have the same score (= number of goals or points), it is a
draw (e.g. 2-2 is a draw).
We can also use draw as a verb, e.g. we drew yesterday's match/game 2-2

Note: A match is used for an organised game: We had a game of football with a
few friends
in the park, but we've got an important match against a very good team next
week.

When the game is still in progress, we often use the verb lead to describe the
position of the teams
and players, or latest to describe the score:

HALF-TIME SCORE: SPAIN 2 SWITZERLAND 1

“At half-time. Spain are leading Switzerland two-one. (= the

latest score is two-one to Spain)”
 “Sampras is leading three-two in the first set. (= the latest score is three-two to
Sampras)”

B What’s the score?

In most games you score goals (e.g. football, hockey) or points (e.g. table tennis
basketball) At the end of the game there is a result (= players/teams win, lose, or
draw)
However, the scoring system - and the way we describe it - is different from game
to game

Football Tennis
Spain 0-0 Italy (we say nil-nil) 15_0 (fifteen-love)
Spain 1-0 Italy (one-nil to Spain) 30-0 (thirty-love)
Spain 1-1 Italy (one-all) 30-30 (thirty-all)
Spain 1-2 Italy (two-one to Italy) 40-40 (deuce) [pronounced like
'juice']
Spain 2-2 Italy (two-all) Advantage X
Game X

If the final score is 2-2 in a cup match, Game and set to X (e.g. 6-3 or 7-
5)
you may have to play extra time. And If the score reaches 6-6 you
have a
if the score is still 2-2 at the end of extra tie-break to decide the set
time, there is a penalty shoot-out.
.
Competitions
In many sports, players and
teams play every week in a A knock-out competition
league (the player/team that
wins the most games in a
season is the winner of the
league championship). In
most sports, there is also a
cup competition, which is
usually a knock-out
competition.
Exercises

These exercises also revise some vocabulary from the previous unit.
I. Complete the table with the correct forms.

Past tense Past Past tense Past

Infinitive Infinitive
participle participle
Win lead
lose catch
beat draw

II. How do we say these scores?

1 Football: 0-0 2-1 4-4

2 Tennis: 15-0 40-30 40-40

III. Fill the gaps in these texts with suitable words or phrases.

In the World Cup Final of 1994, Brazil (1)_________ Italy 3-2 in a

(2)_______________ shoot-out After ninety minutes the (3)___________
was 0-0; and it remained the same after thirty minutes of
(4)_____________. but then Italy (5)_______________3-2 in the penalty
shoot-out after Baresi and Baggio both missed. This was the fourth time
that Brazil had (6)______ the World Cup.

Ivanisevic (7)____________ to Sampras in the second round. He

(8)___________ the first (9)____________ 6-4, but then (10)_________
the second (11)____________ on a (12)_________________ After that,
Sampras dominated the rest of the (13)___________ and won easily. The
final (l4)_____________ was 4-6, 7-6, 6-1, 6-2.

IV. True or false? Check your answers by looking back at this page and the
previous page.
 1 ___ Brazil won the football World Cup in 1994.
2 ___ Football has an umpire.
3 ___ A set in tennis is always decided on a tie-break.
4 ___ If two teams have the same score at the end of the game, it is a
draw.
5 ___ Golf is played on a course.
6 ___ If someone gives you the latest score, the game has finished.
7 ___ Sticks are used in skiing and hockey.
8 ___ In a knock-out competition, you can lose one or two games but still
win the competition.

V. Which sport is being described in each sentence? (The underlined words are
key words and you can look them up to increase your vocabulary in different
sports.)

1 The referee gave the try although many people thought it was a forward
pass.
2 He scored the winner with a beautiful free kick from just outside the
penalty area.
3 He served fifteen aces and not one double fault.
4 The coach called a time out with just 45 seconds left and two points
between the teams.
5 He crashed into the car in front with just two laps remaining.
6 First he was booked (= the yellow card) for a bad tackle, and then he
handled the ball
inside the penalty area, so the referee had to send him off (= the red
card).
7 In the 200 metres freestyle, he overtook the Russian on the final length
to win the race
8 She sprinted away from the field on the final lap and won easily.

VI. Translate the following text into Spanish and keep the format of the original:
 Elasticity of balls

On impact with a racket or the ground, a ball

flattens or compresses, regaining its original
shape as it pushes against the surface and
rebounds. The property of a ball that causes
it to regain its original shape is called its
elasticity.

Energy changes on impact

A falling ball has kinetic energy (energy of motion). On impact, some of the kinetic
energy is stored in the ball as elastic potential energy. As the ball returns to its
original shape and starts to bounce, the elastic potential energy is converted back
into kinetic energy. (Some of the original kinetic energy is lost on impact, being
converted into heat and sound. This means that the rebound height is always less
than the starting height.)

The greater a ball's elasticity, the faster it will return to its original shape and the
farther it will bounce when it is hit or kicked. In tennis, changes in the design of
tennis balls have increased their elasticity, significantly speeding up the game – the
ball travels faster when hit, and the tennis players must travel faster to get near it.
Squash balls are made with different elasticities. They are color-coded as fast or
slow balls.

Rackets

Modern squash and tennis rackets have enabled players to

increase ball speed. The technology comes from aerospace
research and new manufacturing techniques.

Tennis racket frames were first made of solid wood. A

stronger racket was produced when the frame was made of
laminated wood – thin layers of wood steamed, glued and
pressed together. Later, metal rackets were made of steel,
titanium, magnesium and aluminum.
Today, no top-class player uses wooden rackets, and very few use metal ones.
Instead, the frames are made of composite materials. These consist of fibers –
such as carbon fiber, glass fiber, boron, Kevlar and ceramics – bonded together
using a resin. These composite materials are stronger, lighter and stiffer than
wood. A stiff racket frame absorbs less of the ball's energy, thereby increasing the
power available to the player.

Ball speed

Tennis has become a faster game as a result of new designs in rackets

and balls. Top players can serve at up to 220 kilometers per hour, making
the judgement of line-ball decisions extremely difficult. Line judges are
now able to rely on an electronic eye to determine if a ball is out