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Football (Soccer) vocabulary · Competitions & Results

Dead rubber

Meaning in football (soccer), with examples

nounAdvanced term

In football (soccer), dead rubber means: A match whose result cannot change the relevant qualification or championship outcome already decided.

In Turkish: sonuca etkisi kalmamış maç

How it is used

Specify what has been decided; a dead rubber may still matter for pride or other rewards.

Example sentences

  1. With both teams already eliminated, the final group game was a dead rubber for qualification.

    The label concerns the settled qualification question.

  2. The coach rested several starters for the dead rubber after first place was secured.

    A settled competitive outcome influences team selection.

Common collocations

  • play a dead rubber
  • final dead rubber
  • dead-rubber match
  • matchA game of football between two teams, normally made up of two 45-minute halves, with stoppage time added at the end of each half.
  • leagueA competition in which teams play each other over a season, usually home and away, and are ranked in a table by points.

More terms: Competitions & Results

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