Lesson plan: The fall of the condor
You can access the transcript for the audio here.
Pre-Listening
What do you know about Condor Rojas? The two football games between Chile and Brazil? Latin American football culture in the 80s?
Listen to minutes 1:10- 6:29. Why was the game so important for Chile? Were they hopeful about winning? Why/Why not?
Language
Complete the sentences with the following verbs: facing off lined up, pull off, take down, go on, beat, come on.
- But this is the story of another tem, a team trying to ___________________ Brazil
- Brazil have just ___________________ to the pitch
- Brazil and Chile are ___________________ for a world cup spot.
- Both teams were ___________________ side by side.
- CHile could ___________________ to make world cup history.
- It looked like it was impossible to ___________________ him.
- It was the yea to ___________________ the upset.
2. Listen to 6:29- 8.33 What normally happens before a football match? What did Rojas decide to do? What effect did this have?
Language
Complete the following sentences with these words: set, rushed, vulnerable, in place, rough.
- He ________________ his team out.
- There was a FIFA rule ________________ to lower the tension.
- When the Brazilians walk out, they are ________________
- The tone was ________________
- This was hard-nosed, ________________ soccer.
3. Listen to 8.33- 13.00 What things happened at the following matches: Chile-Colombia, Peru-Argentina, Chile-Paraguay, Colombia football, Santiago football team. What things happened to Condor Rojas? Discussion: What do the following Spanish phrases mean? «Futbol es para los vivos», «Mas bandidos que los bandidos». Do you agree with them?
Language
Which words belong to which story.
| Chile-Colombia | fake passport scandal |
| Peru-Argentina | giant banners |
| Chile-Paraguay | referee was murdered |
| Colombia football | drowsy |
| Santiago football team | armed to the teeth |
| Condor Rojas | runs out the clock |
4. Listen to 13.00- 19.02 How did the game go? How did the two red cards happen? How did the two goals happen? What happened after the game? How did Chilean fans feel
Language
Unscramble the following phrases.
- protocol of limits the push FIFA
- something stupid him do make
- when in the back of the it’s hard heat to hold game you’re
- in the ends means justify means the war
- an for Chileans fiasco absolute the
- gone Rojas had in too tunnel the far
5. Listen to 19:02- 22.30 How did the Chileans feel about the second game? How did the Brazilians feel about it? Why? What is the crowd doing? How did the game go?
Language
Complete the following sentences with these prepositions: for, off, past, across, on
- They could call __________ a game
- Chileans had a massive chip __________ their shoulders.
- The Chileans were ready __________ war.
- Flags waving __________ the stadium
- Pushes the ball __________ Condor Rojas.
6. Listen to 22.30- 28.07 What happened to Roberto Rojas? What did the Chilean team decide to do? What do the announcers think might happen next? What did Pelé think about the situation?
Language
Match the halves of the sentences
| While Chilean players worked the ball on the far side of the field, | he’s been hit by this flare. |
| It appears | you take your ball and go home. |
| Fans start booing and jeering and | Rojas stood alone in the mouth of his goal. |
| Perhaps the Chileans were hoping | to protest and walk off and demand the game be played again . |
| You know this is not a neighborhood game where | throwing trash onto the field |
| The Chileans were going in for looking for any reason | to force a re-start, or a re-match. |
7. Listen to 29.20- 32.40 What did Chilean fans think? What did they do? What suspicions did people have?
Language
Use the following words to complete the sentences: milling around, had bound, had been called, there was, would be disqualified, were spiralling, with there own eyes?
- The second match __________________ off.
- Doubted what 100,000s of people __________________ with their own eyes.
- __________________ no room for doubt
- The action __________________ the team to their captian
- The right thing would be that Brazil __________________
- Things __________________
8. Listen to 32.38- 37.15 Why were the photgraphers so important? What did the photographers do? Who bought the photos?
Language
Use the following words to complete the sentences: real, extravagant, obvious, madcap, apparent, unsure, obvious.
- The fans, players, coaches were all _______________.
- It quickly became __________________ that only the photograhers knew.
- Somewhere in those shots was the __________________ story of what had happened.
- What happenes is a __________________ on again, off again attempt to sell the photos.
- Paulo assures us that it was an __________________ amount of money,
- It’s __________________ from this image that the flare landed behind him.
9. Listen to 37.15- 41.53 What did Chileans think about the photos? What did the teammates decide? What did Rojas say? What did FIFA do?
Language
Match the two halves of the sentences.
| The week after the match FIFA | is the light beside me |
| They stood by | their captain |
| They denied | his story would shift and slip around |
| The only thing I remember | stepped in |
| Every interview | knowing what had happened. |
10. Listen to 42.00 – 48.26 What did Rojas explain the situation? What happened to CHilean soccer afertwards? What is the journalist’s explanation for Rojas’s actions?
Language
| If I had thought about it for a minute | one of the best games of my life |
| The razor blade | madness |
| It was the end of an era | saw the impossible |
| I was playing | maybe I would have done nothing |
| Rojas himself | became his only way out. |
Discussion
What do you think of this podcast? Did you learn anything new? Do you think the story is told correctly? Do you think Rojas is a hero or a villain?
Writing
Would you recommend this episode to someone else? To a Chilean? To someone from the US?
1. Read this review. Why does the writer recommend the episode? https://www.laughingplace.com/w/articles/2019/11/26/podcast-review-30-for-30-the-fall-of-the-condor/
2. Analyse the review. What does the writer do with each paragraph? What style does the writer use? Formal, informal?
3. Write your own review of the podcast.