Okuzeka
Football (Soccer) vocabulary · Set Pieces & Restarts

Panenka

Meaning in football (soccer), with examples

nounAdvanced term

In football (soccer), Panenka means: A penalty taken with a gentle lifted shot towards the centre as the taker anticipates a goalkeeper's dive.

In Turkish: Panenka penaltısı

How it is used

An established name for a technique; attempt a Panenka does not imply that it succeeds.

Example sentences

  1. She scored with a Panenka as the goalkeeper dived to his left.

    The soft central lift exploits the keeper's movement away.

  2. His Panenka failed because the goalkeeper stayed in the middle.

    The technique depends on the keeper leaving the central route.

Common collocations

  • attempt a Panenka
  • Panenka penalty
  • score with a Panenka
  • penaltyA shot at goal from the penalty spot, 11 metres (12 yards) from the goal line, given when a defender commits a direct free-kick offence inside their own penalty area.
  • goalkeeperThe player who defends the goal and is the only one allowed to handle the ball, but only inside their own penalty area.

More terms: Set Pieces & Restarts

Practise with graded reading

Reading at the right level is the fastest way to make new words stick. Pick free English books by level: