Learn English Through Football

We take a look back at one of podcasts from our archives (2013) in which we look at five of the most memorable finals to have taken place at Wembley Stadium in my lifetime. You can listen to the report by clicking on the link below, while vocabulary support (in bold) appears at the foot of the report.
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The Biggest Upset 1973 (Sunderland 1-0 Leeds United)
Although there would be subsequent instances when teams from the second tier of English football managed to win the Cup against First Division sides (West Ham beating Arsenal in 1980 and Southampton defeating Manchester United in 1976), Sunderland’s victory in 1973 stands out as the greatest shock of them all. Leeds United were the holders of the Cup and one of the most dominant teams in English football at the time and were expected to sweep aside a Sunderland side that had finished mid-table in the Second Division. Two incidents dominated the game: first the underdogs Sunderland scored through an Ian Porterfield goal and then in the second half their keeper Jim Montgomery made an outstanding double save to thwart Leeds. A truly remarkable upset.
The Ricky Villa Final 1981 (Tottenham 3-2 Manchester City)
The 1981 final pitted Manchester City against Tottenham and was the first final to go to a replay in over a decade after the two teams played out a 1-1 draw at the first attempt. In that game Tottenham and Argentinian midfielder Ricky Villa had been substituted after a poor performance but in the replay he was back in the starting XI and he re-paid his manager’s faith by scoring one in the first half and then adding a second late on in the second. The winning goal has gone down as one of the greatest FA Cup winning goals of modern times after Villa dribbled past three (or was it four?) Manchester City players before slotting the ball home. Great days!
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