Denmark's surprise win at Euro '92

ESL Lessons: True Stories

A printable worksheet for story-based English conversation classes.

Difficulty: Intermediate B1

PDF: Denmark's surprise win at Euro '92

Warm-up

Do you like to watch football?

Vocabulary Match

underdog •• competition
tournament •• been eligible
beating •• winning over
reigning •• current
victory •• success
qualified •• not expected to win

Vocabulary Answers

underdognot expected to win
tournamentcompetition
beatingwinning over
reigningcurrent
victorysuccess
qualifiedbeen eligible

True Story

Listen and fill in the blanks with words from above.

Twenty years ago, Denmark received a sudden call to join the Euro '92 football ________. They replaced Yugoslavia, who couldn't participate due to a civil war. Denmark had not originally ________ but now had a chance to play.

Denmark's team included many players from Brondby, a strong Danish club. They faced tough teams like Sweden, England, and France. Surprisingly, Denmark reached the final after ________ the Netherlands in a penalty shootout.

In the final, they played against the ________ champions, Germany. John Jensen and Kim Vilfort scored, giving Denmark a 2-0 win. Vilfort said, "We didn't have the best players, but we had the best team." Denmark's ________ is one of the most remarkable ________ stories in sports history.

Twenty years ago, Denmark received a sudden call to join the Euro '92 football tournament. They replaced Yugoslavia, who couldn't participate due to a civil war. Denmark had not originally qualified but now had a chance to play.

Denmark's team included many players from Brondby, a strong Danish club. They faced tough teams like Sweden, England, and France. Surprisingly, Denmark reached the final after beating the Netherlands in a penalty shootout.

In the final, they played against the reigning champions, Germany. John Jensen and Kim Vilfort scored, giving Denmark a 2-0 win. Vilfort said, "We didn't have the best players, but we had the best team." Denmark's victory is one of the most remarkable underdog stories in sports history.

Quiz

  1. Why did Denmark join the Euro '92 football tournament?
  2. Which team did Denmark beat in the penalty shootout?
  3. Who were the reigning champions that Denmark played against in the final?
  4. What did Vifort say about Denmark's success?

Quiz Answers (examples)

  1. Because Yugoslavia couldn't participate due to a civil war.
  2. Denmark beat the Swedes, English, French and Dutch.
  3. Germany.
  4. He said they didn't have the best players, but they had the best team.

True or False

  1. Denmark originally qualified for Euro '92. T F
  2. Denmark had many players from Burnley, a strong Danish club. T F
  3. Denmark's win against Germany was unexpected. T F

True or False Answers

  1. False
  2. False
  3. True

Conversation

A:Can you believe we made it to the final?
B:It's like a dream! We're playing Germany.
A:We need to stay focused and give our best.
B:For sure! Let's show them what we can do.
A:I can't wait to see their faces when we win.
B:Let's make it happen!

Discussion

  1. Have you ever played in a sports tournament?
  2. What is your favorite sports team?
  3. Have you ever been surprised by a sports result?
  4. Would you rather play on a team with good teamwork, or have one superstar player?

Further Reading

https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/17757335

MORE: