FOOTBALL!!!

Probably the most popular, the most global, the most fascinating and the most exciting sport in the world. I would also say that it's the most 'sociable' sport ever invented. Since the Football World Cup in Brasil has been going on for a few days, why not write about football vocabulary? 

PEOPLE AND POSITIONS

GOALKEEPER defends the goal by trying to catch the ball (in different ways)

DEFENDERS try to do their best not to allow the opposite team score a goal

MIDFIELDERS are positioned between the defenders and the forwards (strikers)

FORWARDS/STRIKERS/ATTACKERS whose principal role is to score goals (with different results;)

SWEEPER/LIBERO is the defender whose main role is to protect the space between the goalkeeper and the rest of the defence 

CAPTAIN or SKIPPER is the player who leads the team and participates in the coin toss at the beginning of the match.

COACH is supposed to train and prepare the team to win ;)

ASSISTANT COACH helps the COACH

HEAD FITNESS COACH monitors the fitness level of the team

GOALKEEPER COACH trains the goalkeepers

REFEREE presides over a match together with ASSISTANT REFEREES and the FOURTH OFFICIAL (additional assistant who can take over in case one of the referees can't proceed)

SUBSTITUTES take part in the game when somebody from the FIRST TEAM has to leave the field, on average they spend time sitting on the BENCH.

12th MAN are the fans of a football team



THE FIELD

SET PIECES

Set piece is a DEAD BALL (situation when a game is restarted after a stoppage) routine. In football set pieces include:

FREE KICKS which is a result of a FOUL outside the PENALTY AREA

CORNER KICKS which are kicks taken from the radius of the corner flag. It's a result of putting the ball behind your own goal line without a goal being scored

PENALTY KICKS which are kicks taken 11 metres from the goal awarded when a team commits a foul inside its own penalty area

THROW-INS which involves a player throwing the ball from behind the touchline after the ball has been kicked out by an opponent



OTHER TERMS AND EXPRESSIONS


ADDED TIME or STOPPAGE TIME is the time added at the end of a half of the match compensating for the lost time during the game.

ARMBAND is worn by the team's captain to show his role

ASSIST is a pass that results in a goal being scored

BENCH is the area where the team's coaches and substitutes sit

BEND THE BALL means to strike the ball in such a way that it bends or spins in the air

BRACE is when a player scores two goals in a single match

CHANCE or OPPORTUNITY is when a player can shoot a goal with a realistic prospect of scoring a goal

CHIP THE BALL

A CLEAN SHEET is when the opposite team hasn't been able to score any goals against you.

CLEARANCE is when a player kicks the ball away from the goal they are defending

CROSS is the delivery of the ball into the penalty area by the attacking team, usually from the area between the penalty box and the touchline

CROSSBAR is the horizontal bar across the top of the goal

DERBY is a match between two local rivals

DISSENT is a breach of the Laws of the Game

DIVING is a form of cheating, it's when a player throws himself to the floor as though they have been fouled (when they haven't of course)

DRIBBLING is when a player runs with the ball at their feet under close control

DUMMY is a skill move performed by a player receiving a pass from a teammate; the player receiving the ball will angle their body in such a way that the opponent thinks they are going to play the ball. The player will then intentionally allow the ball to run by them to a teammate close by without touching it, confusing the opponent as to which player has the ball.

EQUALISER is a goal that makes the score even

EXTRA TIME is the additional period, normally two halves of 15 minutes, used to determine the winner of the match

FAVOURITE is the team which is expected to win the match or the competition

FC stands for Football Club

FIELD is the PITCH

FIFA stands for International Federation of Association Football

FINAL WHISTLE is the sound made by the referee to finish the match

FIRST ELEVEN is the set of 11 players who would start playing in the match

FIXTURE is a scheduled match which is yet to be played

FLICK-ON is when a player receives a pass from a teammate and, instead of controlling it, touches the ball with their head or foot while it is moving past them, with the intent of helping the ball reach another teammate

FORMATION is how the players in a team are positioned on the pitch

FOX IN THE BOX or A GOAL POACHER is the striker who has excellent scoring ability

FOUL is a breach of the Laws of the Game by a player, punishable by a free kick or penalty. 

FRIENDLY is a match arranged by two teams which has no competitive value

GHOST GOAL is a situation where a ball fairly crossed the goal line but did not result in a goal, or a goal was awarded despite the ball not crossing the line

GOALPOST are the vertical bars at either side of the goal

GROUP OF DEATH is a group in a competition which includes very strong teams

HALF-TIME is a break between two halves of a match

HANDBALL is when a player deliberately touches the ball with his hand

Maradona's Hand of God

HAT-TRICK is when a player scores three goals in a single match

HEADER is when the player uses his head to touch the ball

 Robin van Persie's equalising header

HOLD UP THE BALL is when a player, usually a forward, receives a long ball from a teammate, and controls and shields it from the opposition, with the intent of slowing the play down to allow teammates to join the attack

HOOLIGANS are fanatical supporters known for violent behaviour

HOWLER is a glaring and amusing error made by a player or a by a referee

INTERCEPT means to prevent a pass from reaching its intended recipient

KEEPIE-UPPIE is the skill of juggling the football

a keepie-uppie

KICK OFF means to start the match

LAWS OF THE GAME are codified rules that help define association football 

MATCH FIXING is an expression used to describe the situation when a match is played to a completely or partially pre-determined result motivated by financial incentives paid to players, team officials or referees in violation of the rules of the game

MEXICAN WAVE is a self-organised crowd activity in which spectators stand up, raise their hands in the air, and sit down in sequence

NUTMEG is when a player intentionally plays the ball between an opponent's legs, runs past the opponent, and collects their own pass

How to perform a nutmeg

OFFSIDE relates to the positioning of defending players in relation to attacking players when the ball is played to an attacking player by a teammate. In its most basic form, a player is offside if they are in their opponent's half of the field, and is closer to the goal line than both the second-last defender and the ball at the moment the ball is played to them by a teammate

ONE-ON-ONE is a situation where the only player between an attacking player and the goal is the opponent's goalkeeper

OWN GOAL is when a player scores a goal against their own team, usually as the result of an error


PARKING THE BUS is an expression used when all the players on a team play defensively, usually when the team is winning by a narrow margin

PASS is when a player kicks the ball to one of their teammates

PENALTY SHOOTOUT is a method of deciding a match in a knockout competition, which has ended in a draw after full-time and extra-time. Players from each side take it in turns to attempt to score a penalty against the opposition goalkeeper. Sudden death is introduced if scores are level after five penalties have been taken by either side

PLAY ACTING is similar to diving, play-acting is deceiving the officials that a player is injured to try to gain an advantage or force the referee to punish the "aggressor"

THE POZNAŃ is a celebration which involves fans turning their backs to the pitch, joining arms and jumping up and down in unison. It takes its name from Polish club LECH POZNAŃ, whose fans are thought to be the first to celebrate in this way

RED CARD is awarded to a player for either a single serious cautionable offence or following two yellow cards. The player receiving the red card is compelled to leave the game for the rest of its duration, and that player's team is not allowed to replace him with another player. A player receiving the red card is said to have been sent off or ejected

SAVE is when a goalkeeper prevents the football from crossing the goal line between the goalposts

SHIN PADS are a mandatory piece of equipment, usually made of plastic or rubber, worn underneath the socks in order to protect the shins

SOCCER is an alternative name for the sport of association football

STUDS are small points on the underneath of a player's boots to help prevent slipping

TACKLE is a method of a player winning the ball back from an opponent, achieved either by using a leg to wrest possession from the opponent, or making a slide tackle to knock the ball away

TIKI-TAKA is a style of play characterised by short passing and movement, working the ball through various channels and maintaining possession. The style is primarily associated with Spanish club FC BARCELONA and the Spanish national team

UEFA is an acronym for Union of European Football Associations

UNDERDOG is the team that is not expected to win a particular game or competition

ULTRAS are a type of football fans predominantly found in Europe renowned for their fanatical support and elaborate displays at football matches

WALL is a row of defensive players who line up 10 yards away from a free kick, covering a portion of the goal, with the intent making it more difficult for an attacking player to have a shot on goal direct from the free kick

WINGER is a wide midfield player whose primary focus is to provide crosses into the penalty area

X-RATED CHALLENGE is a malicious tackle when a player has possible motivation to injure an opponent

YELLOW CARD is  shown by the reeree to a player who commits a cautionable offence. If a player commits two cautionable offences in a match, they are shown a second yellow card, followed by a red card, and is sent off. Also known as a caution or a booking