Getting into soccer? You’re in the right place.
Welcome to The Tap-Inn. We serve simple, witty, twice-weekly explainers to help you understand soccer, the world’s most popular sport. No assumed knowledge, no PhD-level tactics, no nonsense.
—Joe, your Irish bartender (no, really)
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“Giant-killing”
/ˈdʒaɪənt ˌkɪlɪŋ/
phrase · soccer
- Definition:
- When a small club or unfancied nation knocks off one of the sport’s superpowers. The bigger the gap between the teams, the bigger the giant-killing.
- Origin:
- Borrowed from Jack and the Beanstalk and adopted by English soccer over a century ago, mostly thanks to the FA Cup, where tiny part-time clubs get drawn against the giants of the game and occasionally slay one.
“Paraguay beating Germany? That’s the biggest giant-killing this tournament’s seen in years.”
ASK THE BARTENDER
Games At The Bar
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WHAT KIND OF FAN ARE YOU?
Want to get into soccer? Start here.
Answer ten questions about how the game works and we'll tell you what kind of fan you already are — and how to fill in the bits you don't know yet!
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Ten things we’ve overheard at the bar. Ten chances to prove you know what they mean. Plus: get your own personalised soccer 'style of play' at the end!
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