2006年VOA标准英语-Germany Defeats Argentina on Penalty Kicks Adva

By Parke Brewer¹
Berlin
30 June 2006
 

Germany's Jens Lehmann (1) makes final save shootout win over Argentina
  
  
Host Germany has reached the semifinals of the World Cup football tournament by defeating Argentina in a penalty²-kick shootout in Berlin.

-------

After a scoreless first half, Argentina broke through in the 49th minute, as Roberto Ayala went high in the air to head in a corner kick from Juan Riquelme.

The German fans in the sell-out crowd of 72,000 then had to anxiously wait about half an hour before their team got the equalizer in the 80th minute. Captain Michael Ballack sent a free kick near the left sideline into the box that was headed from Tim Borowski across to Miroslav Klose, who headed it into the net. It was his fifth goal of this World Cup to lead all scorers.

The regulation 90 minutes ended at 1-1 and neither team scored in 30 minutes of extra time, sending the quarterfinal to a penalty kick shootout. Germany prevailed³, 4-2.

The shootout did not have to go to a fifth round of kicks, as the Germans made all four of their attempts and their goalkeeper Jens Lehmann blocked two of Argentina's attempts.

German coach Juergen Klinsmann said he had confidence in his goalie for the shootout. "We have a strong belief in Jens Lehmann in penalties⁴. As a former striker, I don't want to face him as a striker, and he proved that. He proved that he has a sense for where maybe the ball could go, and he almost saved the other two ones that went in. He was very close. But for the coach and the entire team on the sideline and everybody, it's a thrill. It's like a Hitchcock movie. And obviously⁵ you're the happiest person in the world when you win it, and you are the saddest person if you lose it," he said.

Argentine coach Jose Pekermann, through an interpreter, said he thought both teams played a great match. "It was a very emotional⁶ game. It was worthy⁷ of a quarterfinal and Argentina played like a favorite, played well, even though we lost," he said.

Klinsmann said that it's hard to decide a match of this caliber⁸ in a shootout. "Obviously if you go all the way to the penalty shootout, it's the toughest for the team that loses, you know, to accept that loss, but we're very, very proud of our team," he said.

The Germans reached the semifinals of the last World Cup four years ago. They have equaled that on home soil, and after getting past a strong Argentine team, they now have their fans seriously dreaming of the title.

Germany will face Italy in semi-finals.

1 brewer   

n. 啤酒制造者

参考例句：

• Brewer is a very interesting man. 布鲁尔是一个很有趣的人。
• I decided to quit my job to become a brewer. 我决定辞职，做一名酿酒人。

2 penalty   

n.处罚，刑罚，罚款

参考例句：

• If you knock the ball with your hand in football,you will suffer a penalty.如果在踢足球时你用手碰到球，你将受到处罚。
• One of those arrested could face the death penalty.被捕的那些人中有一人可能被判死刑。

3 prevailed   

v.获胜( prevail的过去式和过去分词 )；盛行；说服；（ 思想、观点等）被接受

参考例句：

• Justice has prevailed; the guilty man has been punished. 正义得到伸张，罪犯受到惩罚。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He was prevailed upon to deliver us a lecture. 他被说服为我们作一次演讲。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 penalties   

n.惩罚( penalty的名词复数 )；刑罚；害处；足球点球

参考例句：

• There are penalties for non-compliance with the fire regulations. 不遵守消防规章的行为要受到处罚。
• Penalties are laid down in the statute . 法规中有关于惩罚措施的规定。

5 obviously   

adv.显然；明白地

参考例句：

• Obviously they were putting him to a severe test.显然他们是在给他以严峻的考验。
• Obviously he was lying.显然他是在撒谎。

6 emotional   

adj.令人动情的；易动感情的；感情(上)的

参考例句：

• Emotional people don't stop to calculate.感情容易冲动的人做事往往不加考虑。
• This is an emotional scene in the play.这是剧中动人的一幕。

7 worthy   

adj.(of)值得的，配得上的；有价值的

参考例句：

• I did not esteem him to be worthy of trust.我认为他不值得信赖。
• There occurred nothing that was worthy to be mentioned.没有值得一提的事发生。

8 caliber   

n.能力；水准

参考例句：

• They ought to win with players of such high caliber.他们选手的能力这样高,应该获胜。
• We are always trying to improve the caliber of our schools.我们一直在想方设法提高我们学校的水平。