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Football (Soccer) vocabulary · Positions & Players

Goalkeeper

Meaning in football (soccer), with examples

/ˈɡoʊlˌkiːpər/nounCore term

In football (soccer), goalkeeper means: The player who defends the goal and is the only one allowed to handle the ball, but only inside their own penalty area.

In Turkish: kaleci, file bekçisi

How it is used

Often shortened to keeper, or goalie in informal speech. A goalkeeper makes saves, claims crosses, punches the ball clear and distributes it to teammates. Goalkeepers wear a different coloured kit from everyone else on the pitch.

Example sentences

  1. Their goalkeeper made three brilliant saves in the first half.

  2. Our second-choice goalkeeper will start the cup game.

Common collocations

  • goalkeeper coach
  • second-choice goalkeeper
  • goalkeeper gloves
  • beat the goalkeeper
  • saveA goalkeeper's action of stopping a shot or header from going in by catching, blocking or pushing the ball away.
  • clean sheetA match in which a team, and especially its goalkeeper, does not concede a single goal.
  • penalty areaThe large marked box in front of each goal, 16.5 metres (18 yards) deep, where a defender's direct free-kick offence leads to a penalty and the goalkeeper may handle the ball.
  • goal kickA kick from inside the goal area, given to the defending team when the ball crosses the goal line after last touching an attacker and no goal is scored.

More terms: Positions & Players

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