A Football Match

A Football Match

            Last Sunday, I went to Lahore to see the final match of the District Football Tournament. It was played between the Youngmen’s Club and the City Star’s Club. Both the teams were string, and had won all of their matches in the tournament easily. A large crowd had come to witness the match. They hoped to see a thrilling game of the highest quality.

            A few minutes before 5:30, the players entered the field. The Youngmen were in maroon jerseys and white shorts while the Stars wore blue shirts with white shorts. They took up their positions in the field.

            At 5:30 the referee whistled, and the game started. As soon as the ball was kicked off, the forwards of both the sides burst into action. The match started at a fast pace. Bothe sides made all efforts to get control of the ball. The City Stars made some very good and threatening moves but their rivals were vigilant and fast.

            A few minutes after the start, Stars’ center forward Yameen received a beautiful cross from the outside left, and with a powerful shot sent the ball to the Youngmen’s goal. But the goalkeeper foiled the attempt. The Stars continued making combined moves but the Youngmen’s defenders proved equal to the task. No team could score a goal in the first half.

            After the half time, the Youngmen played an aggressive game. In the first half they had been content to defend, but now they decided to attack. Their forwards displayed superb control over the ball and completely dominated their opponents.

            Just after the interval Youngmen’s center forward Rafique dribbled past their Stars’ deep defenders, and rushed towards the goal. He moved with such speed that their goalkeeper could not move his little finger before the ball was in the net. A few minutes later, he again, rushed through the Stars’ defense and scored another goal. By this time the Stars were demoralized. The Youngmen continued combined moves. They entertained the crowd with their fast game and short passes. They netted three more goals in a row.

            Some ten minutes before the close of the match, the City Stars made desperate efforts to fight back. Their center forward sent a pass to the inside right who scored his team’s first goal. But the Youngmen were active once again. This time it was their captain who displayed the form. He scored two goals for his side, just before the final whistle.

            The Youngmen’s Club won the match by seven goals to one.

Words	Meanings
witness	دیکھنا
thrilling	جوش اور لطف والا
maroon	گہرا لال رنگ
pace	رفتار
rivals	حریف
vigilant	چوکس
foiled	ناکام بنانا
aggressive	جارحانہ
content	مطمئن
displayed	نمائش کرنا
superb	عمدہ
dominated	چھاجانا
opponents	حریف
dribbled	بار بار مارنے سے بال کا حرکت کرنے کا عمل
demoralized	پست حوصلہ
entertained	دل بہلانا
desperate	بےباکانہ

Words	Meanings
witness	see
thrilling	causing excitement and pleasure
maroon	a dark purplish-red to dark brownish-red color
pace	speed
rivals	a contestant that you are matched against
vigilant	keeping careful watch for possible danger
foiled	prevent from succeeding
aggressive	likely to attack
content	satisfy
displayed	to show, make visible or apparent
superb	a brilliant performance
dominated	have a commanding position over
opponents	a contestant that you are matched against
dribbled	the propulsion of a ball by repeated taps or kicks
demoralized	made less hopeful
entertained	provide (someone) with enjoyment
desperate	showing extreme courage; especially of actions