| attack |
to make a forceful
attempt to score a goal |
| attacker |
a player that has
possession of the ball |
| away game |
a game played at the
opponent's ground |
| away team |
the team that is
visiting the opponent's ground |
| beat |
to defeat |
| bench |
a long seat for several
people |
| captain |
the player who leads and
directs the other players on the field |
| center circle |
a circular marking in
the center of the field from which kickoffs are taken |
| champions |
a team that has beaten
all other teams in a sporting contest |
| championship |
a sporting contest for
the position of champion |
| changing rooms |
the rooms where players
dress to play |
| cheer |
to shout in
encouragement and give support |
| corner kick |
a restart of the game
where the ball is kicked from one of the four corners of
the field |
| cross |
a pass from an attacking
player near the sideline to a team player in the middle or
on the opposite side of the field (also a verb) |
| crossbar |
the horizontal beam
across the top of a goal |
| defend |
to resist an attack |
| defenders |
the players that do not
have possession of the ball |
| draw |
a game that ends with
both teams having the same number of goals |
| dropped ball |
a way of restarting the
game where the referee drops the ball between two players |
| equalizer |
a goal that makes the
score even (the same for both teams) |
| extra time |
a further period of play
added on to the game if the scores are equal |
| field |
the rectangular, grass
area where a game is played |
| field markings |
the straight and curved
white lines painted onto the field |
| FIFA |
Federation
Internationale de Football Association; the official body
of international football |
| FIFA World Cup |
a solid gold statue
given to the champion of each World Cup tournament to keep
for the next 4 years |
| first half |
the first 45 minutes of
the game, before half-time |
| fit |
in form, in good health |
| fixture |
a game played on a
particular date |
| fixture list |
a programme of games |
| forward |
one of the three or four
players on a team who play at the front and are
responsible for most of the scoring |
| foul |
an unfair or invalid
piece of play, against the rules |
| free kick |
a kick given to a player
for a foul by the opposition; the player kicks the ball
without any opposing players within ten feet of him |
| friendly game |
a game that is not part
of a serious contest |
| goal |
1. a ball that crosses
the goal line between the goalposts and below the
crossbar, winning one point 2. the structure consisting of
two posts linked by a crossbar into which all goals are
scored |
| goal area |
the rectangular area 20
yards wide by 6 yards deep in front of each goal |
| goal kick |
a way of restarting the
game where the ball is kicked from inside the goal area
away from the goal |
| goal line |
the boundary or line at
each end of the field |
| goalkeeper, goalie |
the player in front of
the goal who tries to stop the other team scoring |
| goalpost |
one of the two upright
posts of the goal, 8 feet high |
| goal scorer |
a player who puts the
ball into the goal and so "scores a goal" |
| ground |
the place where a game
is played |
| half-time |
the 5-minute rest period
between the first half and second half |
| hand ball |
a foul, when a player
touches the ball with his arm or hand |
| header |
the striking of the ball
by a player with his head |
| home |
a team's own ground. |
| hooligan |
a violent troublemaker |
| injury |
a wound suffered by a
player (for example: broken leg, sprained ankle) |
| injured player |
a player who has been
hurt or wounded |
| injury time |
time added to the end of
the first or second half to compensate for time lost
because of player injuries |
| kick |
to strike or hit with
the foot (also a noun) |
| kick-off |
the start of a game, or
restart after a goal, when a player kicks the ball
forwards |
| Laws of the Game |
the 17 main rules for
football established by FIFA |
| league |
a group of teams that
play each other for competition |
| linesman |
the 2 officials who help
the referee; they watch the sidelines and goal lines |
| match (game) |
a game of football |
| midfield |
a region of the field
near the midfield line |
| midfield line |
a line that runs across
the center of the field; center line; halfway line |
| midfield player |
the players that play
behind the forwards |
| national team |
the team representing a
particular country or nation |
| opposing team |
a team playing against
another team |
| own goal |
a mistake, when a team
places the ball inside its own goal |
| pass |
when a player kicks the
ball to a teammate |
| penalty area |
a rectangular area in
front of the goal, 44 yards wide by 18 yards deep |
| penalty kick, penalty
shot |
a kick from the penalty
spot by a player against the opposing goal keeper; awarded
for the most serious violations of the rules or used in
the event of a draw |
| penalty spot |
the small circle 12
yards in front of the goal |
| possession |
control of the ball |
| red card |
a small card, red in
colour, that the referee holds up to show that a player
must leave the game for very bad behaviour |
| referee |
the chief official; he
starts and stops play, makes all decisions about the
rules, and acts as timekeeper |
| score (verb) |
to put the ball into the
goal and gain a point |
| score (noun) |
the amount of goals for
each team |
| score a hat trick |
when one player gets
three goals in the same game |
| scorer |
a player who scores or
gets a goal |
| scoreboard |
a large panel or other
display that shows the current score or number of goals
for each side |
| second half |
the second 45 minutes of
the game, after half-time |
| send a player off |
when the referee tells a
player to leave the field for bad behaviour |
| side |
one of the two teams
playing a game |
| sideline |
the line that runs along
the length of the field on each side; touchline |
| spectator |
a person who watches a
game (or other performance) |
| stadium |
a special sports ground
with seats for spectators where football (or another game)
is played |
| striker |
a team's best forward
who plays near the center of the field |
| studs |
small points on the
underneath of a player's boots to help prevent slipping |
| substitute |
a player who replaces
another player on the field |
| supporter |
a spectator who supports
one of the teams and wants it to win |
| tackle |
to try to take the ball
away from another player by kicking or stopping it with
the feet |
| team |
the members of one side
|
| tie |
when two teams have
scored the same number of goals in a game; a draw |
| tiebreaker |
a way of choosing the
winner of a game when both teams have the same number of
goals, for example by a series of penalty kicks |
| ball |
the hollow sphere that
players kick in soccer |
| coach |
a person who trains a
team |
| net |
the mesh of cord hung
over and behind the goal; can also mean the goal itself |
| pitch |
the football field |
| ticket tout |
a person who tries to
sell tickets at a price higher than the official price |
| to keep goal |
to be the goal keeper or
goalie |
| to score a goal |
to put the ball into the
goal or net |
| to shoot at goal |
to kick the ball towards
the goal |
| touch line |
the line that runs along
the length of the field on each side; sideline |
| underdog |
a team that is not
expected to win |
| unsporting behavior |
rude or bad conduct |
| whistle |
the instrument that the
referee blows to create a loud, high-pitched sound |
| winger |
a forward who plays to
the side of the striker or strikers |
| World Cup |
the international soccer
competition between nations, organized by FIFA every 4
years |
| yellow card |
a small card, yellow in
color, that the referee holds up to warn a player for bad
behavior |
