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Football (Soccer) vocabulary · Rules, Fouls & Match Time

Substitution

Meaning in football (soccer), with examples

/ˌsʌbstɪˈtuːʃən/nounCommon term

In football (soccer), substitution means: Replacing a player on the pitch with a substitute; the number allowed depends on the competition, and a player who comes off cannot return.

In Turkish: oyuncu değişikliği

How it is used

Managers make a substitution or a double substitution, and the fourth official holds up the board with the numbers. Most top competitions allow five substitutions in three stoppages, plus half-time. A tactical substitution changes the shape; a forced one follows an injury.

Example sentences

  1. The substitution on the hour changed the game.

  2. We had to make an early substitution after his hamstring injury.

Common collocations

  • make a substitution
  • double substitution
  • tactical substitution
  • forced substitution
  • substitution board
  • substituteA player who starts the match on the bench and can come on to replace a teammate during the game.
  • benchThe seats beside the pitch for the substitutes and coaching staff; also the group of substitutes available in a match.
  • fourth officialThe match official who stands between the two technical areas, manages substitutions, shows the added time and helps the referee with other duties.
  • injuryPhysical damage to a player's body, such as a muscle strain or a broken bone, that can stop them from training or playing.

More terms: Rules, Fouls & Match Time

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