2026 World Cup Language 23: Scrape past
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2026 World Cup Language 23: Scrape past
It’s day 23 of the 2026 World Cup and on today’s World Cup language podcast we look at a phrase from the remarkable game between holders Argentina and Cape Verde: ‘scrape past‘. 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 about the phrase or our podcast then you can contact us here.
Hello
DF: Hello again everyone. This is Damian from the Learn English through Football team and I hope you are all doing well and still watching, and enjoying, the World Cup. This is day 23 of our World Cup language series in which we explain a phrase or expression from the World Cup each day. And hopefully you have found them useful with your language learning and language teaching.
So, yesterday Damon explained the phrase, ‘breeze past‘ after Spain beat Austria 3-0 in the last 32 of the tournament. And today I am going to explain another phrase that describes when one team defeats another team; though this time without as much ease or comfort and this phrase is: ‘to scrape past‘ after the amazing Argentina versus Cape Verde match.
Stinger: You are listening to the Learn English Through Football Podcast.com (in Portuguese from Brazil)
Yes, you are listening to the Learn English through Football podcast and that message was in Portuguese from Brazil and of course Brazil will take on Norway tomorrow in their last-16 match.
Scrape past
DF: Argentina have qualified for the last 16 of the World Cup after they defeated minnows Cape Verde in an extraordinary game in Miami last night. They advanced to the last 16 where they will play against Egypt but they only just about made it through. So, we have looked at lots of language during this tournament which describes how teams move into the next round of the competition: breeze into the next round; qualify and move into the next round, for example. Another similar expression to these is ‘to scrape into the next round‘ and this means that one team has defeated another team – but only just.
Argentina were fully expected to comfortably beat Cape Verde and when they went one-nil up through yet another Leo Messi goal, it seemed that the African side’s World Cup dreams were over. But they fought back not once but twice to equalise against the current World champions. Their second goal was a worldie and this took the game to extra time. With only nine minutes before penalties, the Cape Verdean side conceded an own goal and despite chances at the end to equalise they could not beat Argentina. So, this was not an easy victory for Argentina and we can say that they scraped past Cape Verde; they just about beat them but it was very close and really difficult for the holders.
Here’s what the BBC said about the game:
Example: A 111th-minute Diney Borges own goal saved holders Argentina from one of the biggest shocks in World Cup history as they scraped past heroic debutants Cape Verde in the last 32 (BBC.co.uk)
Stinger: You are listening to the Learn English Through Football Podcast.com (in Norwegian)
Contact
DF: Yes, you are listening to the Learn English through Football podcast and that was a message from Norwegian fan – I wonder will they scrape past Brazil in their last-16 match?
Now don’t forget, if you want to get in contact with us or ask a football-language question then just come along to our site here at learnenglishthroughfootball.com or you can contact us at: contact@learnenglishthroughfootball.com.
Goodbye
DF: Thank you everyone again for listening. On today’s World Cup language show, we looked at the phrase, ‘to scrape past an opponent‘. which is another way of saying just about beating an opponent. Can you think of any other words for this phrase in any language that you know? If so, drop us a line and let us know.
Damon will be here again tomorrow with some more expressions from day 24 of the World Cup. Until then, bye bye.
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