Learn English Through Football Podcast: Do the Double (2024 Domestic Cup Finals)

Do the double: In this football language podcast we look back at a weekend full of cup finals across Europe as many teams tried to do the double. 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.

https://media.blubrry.com/footballlanguage/content.blubrry.com/footballlanguage/LearnEnglishThroughFootballPodcast_DotheDouble_2024DomesticCupFinals.mp3

Introduction

DF: Hello everyone. You're listening to languagecaster.com's football-language podcast. The show for everyone who wants to practice their English and who loves the beautiful game of football. My name is Damian and I am based in London and I am one half of the Languagecaster team - the other member is Damon who, of course for regular listeners who will know, is based in Tokyo, Japan.



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



Now, last weekend saw lots of domestic cup finals being played across Europe and on this week's podcast we are going to take a look at four of them. Now in all of these finals one of the teams was trying to complete a double: that's winning the domestic league and cup. So, we are going to look at the FA Cup in England, the Coupe de France, the Scottish Cup and the Pokal from Germany. Do you remember which teams were going for the double in those finals and how many of them were successful?



Stinger: You are listening to languagecaster.com (from Umid in Tashkent (Uzbekistan))

Vocabulary

Now before we take a look at these finals let's take a look at the phrase, 'the double' and how different verbs can collocate or go with this word in football:



* To do the double

* To complete the double (To complete a league and cup double)

* To win the double

* To deny (a team) the double [so, to stop them from winning the double]

* To clinch the double

* To secure the double



Now, five of these phrases all really mean to win the double. So, to do the double; complete the double; clinch the double; secure the double - with one of them, 'to deny the double' is to stop the other team from winning the double.



We are also going to be looking at the phrases, 'to pounce on'; 'the Old Firm'; ' to battle past' and 'to defy' - do you know what these words mean?



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

FA Cup: Manchester United v Manchester City - Defy the odds

http://gty.im/2154680772

Manchester United and beleaguered manager Erik ten Hag defied the odds and their critics to pull off a stunning FA Cup final victory over hot favourites Manchester City at Wembley (BBC.co.uk, May 25 2024) Before this year's FA Cup final between Manchester rivals United and City, no one really gave United (The Red Devils) any real chance of stopping City of winning their second successive double.