penalty / eleven
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penalty
Colloquial short form for 'Elfmeter' (penalty kick) in football/soccer; a penalty shot taken from eleven meters away from the goal.
In der letzten Minute bekam die Mannschaft einen Elfer zugesprochen.
In the final minute, the team was awarded a penalty.
The word 'Elfer' is derived directly from the number 'elf' (11). The ending '-er' is often used to refer to things connected with a number.
Im Karneval besteht der Elferrat aus elf Personen.
In carnival, the Elferrat consists of eleven people.
In a football/soccer context, 'der Elfer' is the usual colloquial term. The official and more formal terms are 'der Elfmeter' (penalty kick) or 'der Strafstoß' (penalty shot).
Der Schiedsrichter hat auf Elfer entschieden.
The referee awarded a penalty.
In football/soccer, there are fixed expressions: a player can 'schießen' (take/shoot) or 'verwandeln' (convert, score from) a penalty. If he does not score, he has 'verschossen' (missed) the penalty. The goalkeeper can 'halten' (save) a penalty.
Der Stürmer hat den entscheidenden Elfer leider verschossen.
Unfortunately, the striker missed the decisive penalty.
The context tells you whether the number 11 or a penalty kick is meant. If people are talking about football/soccer, a match, or a goal, it is about the penalty shot. If it is about bus routes, house numbers, or groups, the number 11 is meant.
Der Bus mit der Nummer 11 wird hier nur „der Elfer“ genannt.
The bus with the number 11 is just called 'the eleven' here.
penalty
'Elfmeter' and 'Elfer' mean the same penalty kick in soccer, taken from eleven meters away from the goal. 'Elfmeter' is the normal and somewhat more precise form, for example in news or reports. 'Elfer' is the short colloquial form and sounds especially natural in conversations about soccer. In this meaning, you can often use both words interchangeably. The only important point is: outside of soccer, 'Elfer' can also mean other things connected with the number eleven, but in soccer it normally means an 'Elfmeter'.
Den Elfer hat der Torwart mit einer starken Parade gehalten.
The goalkeeper saved the penalty with a great stop.
Kurz vor dem Ende bekam die Mannschaft einen Elfmeter.
Shortly before the end, the team was awarded a penalty.