Nayim's Goal for Real Zaragoza and David Seaman's Ballad

Back in 1995 Real Zaragoza, coached by Víctor Fernández, won the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup Final after beating Arsenal (1-2) at Parc des Princes stadium in Paris. The incredible goal that the Zaragozan player Nayim scored in the last minute of extra-time was such a remarkable feat that it inspired a modern poet and Arsenal fan, Murray Lachlan Young, to write a ballad, The Lobbing of David Seaman, dedicated to the legendary Arsenal goalkeeper and also to the loneliness of all teenage goalkeepers when they concede a crucial goal from the opposing team and they are judged "on what they miss, and not on what they save". Here you can find a link to a file with a listening task in Word, the key and the audio of the ballad, which is recommended for B2 students (the task and key are also copied at the bottom of this post, under the video of Nayim's goal). Some interesting expressions in the text are: lobbing, ye, goalkeeper, goalie, gay (old-fashioned), the Gunners, oaken, a rib, to whistle, off his line, to step up, nemesis, mighty, lofted, a shot, to scramble, the score, well-trod, a pony tail, to crave.

This version of The Lobbing of David Seaman was performed live on 29th May 2010, on Ireland's RTÉ Radio 1 programme "The Loneliness of the Goalkeeper".  A slightly different version of the ballad is available in the YouTube video below:

Finally, you can watch Nayim's historic goal with the comments in English in the video below:

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Listening task for the ballad The Lobbing of David Seaman (RTÉ's version) by poet Murray Lachlan Young:

The Lobbing of David Seaman

Ah, come all ye teenage goalkeepers
And listen unto me,
I'll tell you of a goalie
Who went out to gay Paree;
The Gunners called him '(1) ___________ Hands',
David Seaman was his name,
But that (2) ______________ night in Paris
Was his world consumed in flames.

It was in the final minutes

And the game was surely gone

With oaken heart and broken (3) ___________

He urged the Gunners on,

The (4) ____________ expecting penalties

were whistling full time,

But one (5) _____________ Zaragozan

Saw the keeper off his line.

So up steps Seaman's nemesis

and his name it was Nayim,

He kicked a mighty lofted (6) __________

So high above the scene

Poor Seaman scrambled backwards

To face this final card

To be (7) ____________ by a cannon ball

From over fifty yards.

Oh! The tears of David Seaman

They define the Gunners' (8) ______________,

But he could not change the score line

And he could not change his name.

So he took the well-trod channel

Of a man whose (9) ______________ has failed,

Oh! He posed for lifestyle magazines,

And he (10) ___________ a pony tail.

[Second Part, from 17:38 to 18:43]

And as his pony tail grew longer

The memories did fade

And Seaman soon was recognized

As a master of his trade

A hero for his country

And a father to his team

Oh! But never could he wash away

The stain left by Nayim.

So, come all ye teenage goalkeepers

And listen to what I say,

Be careful what you wish for,

For it might just come your way

And looking at your jersey

As in loneliness you crave

To be judged on what you miss

And not on what you save.

KEY: (1) Safe; (2) lonely; (3) ribs; (4) crowd; (5) cruel; (6) shot; (7) beaten; (8) pain; (9) luck; (10) grew.