This is What’s Trending Today.
Sarah Arcand is from the Canadian province of Ontario. She works as a teacher in York, a community near the city of Toronto.
She and her family went to Madrid, Spain earlier this month for a spring vacation. While there, she attended a soccer match between Real Madrid and Sevilla.
During the match, a famous Real Madrid player attempted a penalty kick. The ball went over the goal and hit the teacher in the face.
She was recording the penalty kick with her phone. She posted the video to YouTube with the headline “Welcome to Bernabeu.” She chose those words because of the name of the sports center at which Real Madrid plays its games. The stadium is called Santiago Bernabeu.
The 17-second video is taken from great seats behind the goal. It shows Sevilla’s goalie getting ready for Cristiano Ronaldo to kick the ball. He runs toward the ball and makes a strong kick, but it goes over the crossbar.
And right into the face of Arcand. She says the ball left her with a black eye.
She wrote on her YouTube posting: “Not sure Cristiano Rinaldo (sic) meant to welcome me with a black eye, but this Canadian football fan will take the penalty kick to the face as an excellent memory from one of the best.”
Her video has over 500,000 views in the past week.
A sports blog in Canada talked with Arcand. She told the writer it was a trip she and her family planned for three years. They also went to see Spain’s other famous team, Barcelona, play earlier on their visit.
She said she got her telephone back after it was knocked two rows away. Her bruised face lasted for the rest of the vacation.
“It’s almost better now, it’s getting there,” she said in the story published on March 28.
Here’s a look at Arcand’s video.
And here is how the missed penalty kick looked on the television broadcast. You do not see Arcand getting hit by the ball.
Arcand says she was not permitted to keep the ball as a souvenir.
And That’s What’s Trending Today.
I’m Dan Friedell.
Dan Friedell wrote this story for Learning English. George Grow was the editor.
Have you ever caught a ball at a sporting event? We want to know. Write to us in the Comments Section or on our Facebook page.
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Words in This Story
bruise – n. a dark and painful area on your skin that is caused by an injury
souvenir – n. something that is kept as a reminder of a place you have visited, an event you have been to, etc.
vacation – n. a period of time that a person spends away from home, school, or business usually in order to relax or travel
stadium – n. a very large usually roofless building that has a large open area surrounded by many rows of seats and that is used for sports events, concerts, etc.
crossbar – n. a bar that joins the goalposts in soccer or hockey
