Football glossary 118 terms
Four categories: live commentary, tactics columns, data and stats, and the Laws of the Game. Tap a term for a one-line definition and an animated tactics board.
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🎙 Live Commentary 56 terms
- DelayディレイDefending by holding off instead of diving in, to buy time.
- Low Blockブロックを敷く／ローブロックDropping into your own half and killing space with a wall-like shape.
- The Pocket / Near Zoneポケットを突く（ニアゾーン）Running into the “corner” of the penalty area, wide of the six-yard box.
- Between the Linesライン間で受けるReceiving in the gap between the opponent's defensive and midfield lines.
- Channel Runチャンネル（チャンネルラン）Running the lane between the full-back and centre-back.
- High Pressハイプレス／プレッシングHunting the ball as a group, deep in the opponent's half.
- RetreatリトリートNot pressing, and dropping everyone back into your own half.
- IsolationアイソレーションDeliberately clearing team-mates away to leave your star 1v1.
- Cut InsideカットインDribbling diagonally inside from the wing towards the centre.
- Overlap / Underlapオーバーラップ／インナーラップA player from behind running past the ball-carrier to go forward.
- Second Ballセカンドボール（の回収）The loose ball that spills out after a duel.
- Compact / Stretchedコンパクト／間延びWhether the shape is squeezed tight or stretched loose.
- Vertical Pass into Feet楔のパス（くさびを入れる）A sharp vertical pass into a forward's feet.
- Cover ShadowカバーシャドウClosing down while using your back to block a passing lane.
- Press Trap / Escapeはめる／はがすForcing opponents into a pressing trap is ‘trapping’; slipping out of it is ‘escaping.’
- DuelデュエルA one-on-one contest for the ball.
- Tracking Back (Press Back)プレスバックA forward pressing while running back towards his own goal.
- Run in Behind裏抜け（背後を取る）Breaking into the space behind the opponent's back line.
- Through Passスルーパス（キラーパス）A pass into empty space for a team-mate to run onto.
- Early CrossアーリークロスA cross played early rather than after reaching the byline.
- IntensityインテンシティHow hard a team plays — covering duels, transitions and running.
- FlickフリックA one-touch play that only changes the ball's direction.
- Long Throw-inロングスローHurling a throw-in straight into the box as an attacking weapon.
- GolazoゴラッソA stunning goal that makes you shout out loud.
- Kamada's 1mm鎌田の1ミリThe equaliser vs the Netherlands at the 2026 WC that grazed Kamada's head by a millimetre.
- Physical ContactフィジカルコンタクトBodying up. Fair shoulder-to-shoulder contact is part of football.
- Designed Set Pieceデザインされた（セットプレー）A free kick or corner routine, drilled in training, that breaks a defence down.
- Momentum Arrow（攻守の）矢印The direction a player's momentum and weight are pointing.
- InterceptionインターセプトReading an opponent's pass and cutting it out.
- Trap / First TouchトラップThe skill of controlling an incoming ball and setting up your next move.
- Overhead / Bicycle Kickオーバーヘッド（バイシクル）Leaping to kick a ball above head height backwards over yourself.
- Hold-up PlayポストプレーA forward receiving with their back to goal, shielding the ball from the defender and holding it until team-mates arrive.
- Long-range ShotミドルシュートA long-range shot from outside the penalty area.
- One-Two / Wall Passワンツー（壁パス）A two-player combo: play it off a team-mate and take the return on the run.
- Crossクロス（センタリング）A sideways or diagonal ball from wide into the box.
- Near / Far Postニアサイド／ファーサイドIn football, the near post is the goalpost closest to the ball; the far post is the goalpost farther away.
- ClearanceクリアBooting a dangerous ball well away from goal.
- Super SubスーパーサブA trump-card substitute who changes the game off the bench.
- Holding the Ball溜め（ため）Holding the ball to make time and wait for team-mates to join.
- Width / Stay Wide / Tuck In幅を取る（張る・絞る）Using the pitch's full width. Waiting out wide is ‘staying wide’; coming inside is ‘tucking in.’
- Switch of PlayサイドチェンジA long pass that swings the ball to the opposite flank at once.
- CoveringカバーリングDefence that instantly backs up behind a beaten team-mate.
- MalíciaマリーシアThe ‘cunning’ to win within the rules.
- Power PlayパワープレーAn all-out late assault — ‘going long’, with tall players and even the keeper sent forward.
- Punt Kick / Feedパントキック／フィードA keeper dropping the ball from his hands and kicking it long before it bounces.
- DerbyダービーA match between rival clubs from the same city or region.
- Giant KillingジャイアントキリングA big upset where an underdog beats a powerhouse.
- Sano Recovery佐野回収Hoovering up loose balls in midfield at an absurd rate. Named after Kaishu Sano.
- Passer & Receiver出し手と受け手The passer and the receiver. A pass is always a joint effort by two.
- Closing the Gameゲームをクローズする／クローザーEnding the match with the lead intact. The specialist is the ‘closer.’
- Cutting the Passing Laneコースを切る（限定する）Blocking passing lanes with body angle and positioning to narrow the opponent's options.
- Putting a Lid On蓋をするSealing off a dangerous route or player so it can't be used.
- Cutbackカットバック（マイナスの折り返し）A final pass pulled back from near the goal line, away from goal.
- Shifting Gearsギアを上げるDeliberately stepping up the attacking tempo a notch.
- Immersive ViewイマーシブビューA viewing mode that lets you replay a match from any angle, including a player's-eye view.
- adidas Match BalladidasボールThe official tournament ball. With a built-in sensor, it also aids precise decisions.
📝 Column & Analysis 33 terms
- Half-spaceハーフスペースThe zone “between centre and wing” when the pitch is split into five vertical lanes.
- Five Lanes5レーン理論Designing attacks by dividing the pitch into five vertical lanes.
- Positional Play / Juego de PosiciónポジショナルプレーOutdoing opponents through positioning, by designing “where to stand.”
- False Nine偽9番（ゼロトップ）A centre-forward who drops from the front line into midfield.
- Inverted Full-back偽サイドバックA full-back who plays in central midfield rather than out wide.
- Negative Transitionネガティブトランジション（ネガトラ）The moment of switching from attack to defence.
- Positive Transitionポジティブトランジション（ポジトラ）The moment of switching from defence to attack.
- Gegenpressingゲーゲンプレス（カウンタープレス）Immediately swarming to win the ball back on the spot after losing it.
- Build-upビルドアップConstructing the attack by passing out from the GK and defenders.
- OverloadオーバーロードDeliberately gathering players in one area to outnumber the opponent there.
- Lay-offレイオフA forward receiving a pass into feet and knocking it short to a runner from behind.
- Third Man Run3人目の動き（サードマン）A “third man,” not the passer or receiver, running in to collect.
- Anchor / Pivoteアンカー／ピボーテA lone defensive midfielder stationed in front of the back line.
- StormingストーミングKick, recover, press instantly — a philosophy of creating storm-like chaos.
- Numerical / Positional / Qualitative Superiority数的優位／位置的優位／質的優位Being better off than the opponent in numbers, in position, or in individual quality.
- Zonal / Man-markingゾーンディフェンス／マンツーマン“Guard a space” or “track a man” — the two main defensive systems.
- Thirds of the Pitchアタッキングサード（ゾーン1・2・3）Splitting the pitch into three bands, zones 1–3, counted from the attacking team's own goal.
- Zone 14 / Vital AreaバイタルエリアThe danger zone in front of the box, between the opposition's defence and midfield.
- Mid BlockミドルブロックSetting the defensive block at mid height, in the middle third.
- Conducción / Carryコンドゥクシオン（キャリー／持ち運び）A player — often a centre-back — dribbling the ball forward.
- Salida Lavolpianaサリーダ・ラボルピアーナA midfielder dropping between the CBs during build-up to make a back three.
- Diagonal RunダイアゴナルランA run cutting across the pitch on the diagonal.
- Pinningピン留めFixing an opponent in place through positioning alone.
- High LineハイラインA defensive setting that keeps the last line high up.
- Counter Attackカウンター（ショート／ロング）A fast attack right after winning the ball, before the opponent gets set.
- VolanteボランチA defensive midfielder steering both phases from the base of midfield.
- Shadow Strikerシャドー（セカンドトップ）An attacker just behind the CF — the ‘2’ in a 3-4-2-1.
- False Shadow偽シャドーA rotation where the shadow leaves his spot, drops into midfield and helps build play.
- Polyvalent / UtilityポリバレントThe versatility to play several positions at a high level.
- The Ace as a Tactic戦術三笘（戦術ヴィニシウス）Making ‘let the ace go 1v1’ itself a team rule.
- Football IQサッカーIQThe ‘mental speed’ to read a situation, predict, and choose the best option.
- Fluid System可変システムA setup that reshapes the formation between attacking and defending phases.
- Baiting the Defender食いつかせるDeliberately drawing a defender out to use the space he leaves.
📊 Data & Stats 13 terms
- Expected GoalsxG（ゴール期待値）A value from 0 to 1 for how likely a shot is to go in.
- Expected AssistsxA（アシスト期待値）A figure for how likely a pass was to lead to a goal.
- Passes Per Defensive ActionPPDAHow many opponent passes are allowed per defensive action.
- Heat MapヒートマップA colour-shaded map of where a player spent the most time.
- Pass Networkパスネットワーク図A diagram of who passed to whom most often, shown by line thickness.
- Possessionポゼッション（ボール支配率）The share of match time a team held the ball.
- Progressive PassプログレッシブパスA pass that advances the ball significantly towards goal.
- Field TiltフィールドティルトShare of play in the opponent's final third — who was pinning who back.
- AssistアシストCredit for the final pass that sets up a goal.
- Hat-trickハットトリックOne player scoring three goals in a single match.
- Clean SheetクリーンシートFinishing a match without conceding. A medal for the GK and defence.
- Points勝ち点Win = 3, draw = 1, loss = 0 — the points that decide league standings.
- Actual Playing TimeAPT（アクチュアルプレーイングタイム）The net time the ball was actually in play out of the 90 minutes.
⚖️ Rules & Referee 16 terms
- Offsideオフサイド（戻りオフサイド）Receiving a pass after being beyond the second-last defender when it was played is an offence.
- Offside TrapオフサイドトラップDeliberately stepping the back line up to catch a forward offside.
- Denying an Obvious Goal-Scoring OpportunityDOGSO（ドグソ）“Denying an obvious goal-scoring opportunity” — in principle a straight red.
- Video Assistant Referee / On-Field ReviewVAR／OFRA video official who assists the referee, and the pitch-side monitor review.
- AdvantageアドバンテージNot blowing for a foul when letting play go on favours the team that was fouled.
- Mitoma's 1mm三笘の1ミリThe historic 2022 WC vs Spain call where the ball stayed on the line by just 1.88mm.
- Hydration Break飲水タイム（ハイドレーションブレイク）A drinks break once per half: about a minute in Japanese summer heat, 3 minutes at every 2026 World Cup match.
- Additional TimeアディショナルタイムTime added at the end for stoppages. Also known as stoppage time.
- Handballハンド（ハンドリング）Handling the ball with the hand or arm — but a touch isn't automatically a foul.
- Penalty / Free KicksPK／直接FK・間接FKRestarts that vary with where the foul is and what kind it is.
- Simulation / Diveシミュレーション（ダイブ）Falling with no contact to deceive the referee. A cautionable offence.
- Own Goalオウンゴール（OG）Putting the ball into your own net.
- Referee CamレフェリービューFootage from a small camera worn by the referee.
- 5-Second Countdown5秒カウントダウンA finger countdown the ref shows when a keeper holds the ball too long.
- 10-Second Substitution Rule交代時の10秒ルールA player being substituted must leave at the nearest line within 10 seconds of the board going up.
- 1-Min Wait After Treatment負傷治療後の1分待機A player treated on the pitch waits off it briefly before returning.