penalty
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penalty
In soccer, a penalty kick awarded as punishment for a serious foul in the penalty area. The ball is kicked from a spot that is eleven meters from the goal.
In der letzten Minute des Spiels gab der Schiedsrichter einen umstrittenen Elfmeter.
In the last minute of the game, the referee awarded a controversial penalty.
The word 'Elfmeter' (penalty) is made up of 'elf' (eleven) and 'Meter' (meter). It literally describes the distance from which the penalty kick is taken: the penalty spot is exactly eleven meters from the goal.
Der Ball liegt auf dem Elf-Meter-Punkt bereit.
The ball is ready on the penalty spot.
In soccer, there are fixed verbs used with 'Elfmeter' (penalty): the referee 'gibt' (awards) or 'pfeift' (calls) it. A player 'schießt' (takes/shoots) or 'verwandelt' (converts) it, and the goalkeeper 'hält' (saves) it.
Der Stürmer hat den entscheidenden Elfmeter sicher verwandelt.
The striker confidently converted the decisive penalty.
In colloquial language, especially in conversations about soccer, 'der Elfmeter' (the penalty) is often shortened to 'der Elfer' (the pen).
Das war ein klarer Elfer, der Schiri hätte pfeifen müssen!
That was a clear pen; the ref should have blown the whistle!
A related important term is 'das Elfmeterschießen' (penalty shootout). This is the method used to decide a match if it is still tied after extra time.
Deutschland hat das Finale im Elfmeterschießen gewonnen.
Germany won the final in a penalty shootout.
penalty shootout
'Elfmeter' and 'Elfmeterschießen' both belong to soccer and have to do with shots from the penalty spot. An 'Elfmeter' is a single penalty kick during the game, usually after a foul in the penalty area. An 'Elfmeterschießen' is a whole series of penalties at the end of a game when there is still no winner after extra time. Learners may confuse the words because in both cases the shot is taken from the same spot. The important point is: 'Elfmeter' means a single shot, while 'Elfmeterschießen' means deciding the game through several shots.
Nach dem Foul gab der Schiedsrichter einen Elfmeter.
After the foul, the referee awarded a penalty.
Das Finale wurde erst im Elfmeterschießen entschieden.
The final was only decided in the penalty shootout.