Bavarian Lingo Works: 10 German expressions you will use during the next games!

Here at Bavarian Football Works, I get to work with people who are from all over the world. I find it quite amazing how we can all connect with each other to discuss the game despite being from different countries. Aside from our passion for FC Bayern Munich and the German national team, we share the language of football.

As someone who speaks six languages, I love trying to learn more languages and embracing a part of other cultures. I was born and raised in Germany, so I thought, why not share a few German football expressions just in time for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar?

You may know them already, but here we go!

1. Raumdeckung, die: [ˈʀaʊ̯mdɛkʊŋ] - Zonal defense - A defensive tactic in which a defender covers a specific area on the pitch to prevent attacks from the opposition.
2. Fallrückzieher, der: [ˈfalʀʏkʦiːɐ] - Bicycle kick - Play in which a player somersaults backward and moves the legs in a pedaling motion in order to strike the ball in mid-air. Think Zlatan Ibrahimović in 2012 against England.
3. Flügelstürmer, der: [ˈflyːgəlˌʃtʏʁmɐ] - Winger - Someone who plays in the attack of a team in the outer area of ​​the right or left wing. Can we have more of that Serge Gnabry cooking, please?
4. Blutgrätsche, die: [ˈbluːtgʀɛːʧə] - Slide tackle - The very dangerous kind where a player fouls another without a chance of hitting the ball.
5. Schützenfest, das: [ˈʃʏtsn̩ˌfɛst] - Scoring spree - Traditionally and literally, a marksmen’s festival where competitions of target shooting take place. Let’s hope there will be more of these as Germany faces Japan, Costa Rica, and Spain in the group stage of the World Cup.
6. Münzwurf, der: [mʏnt͡svʊɐ̯f] - Coin toss - Act of deciding something by throwing a coin up in the air and seeing which side is shown after it lands on the hand - Any Harvey Dent fans here?
7. Rudelbildung, die: [ˈʀuːdl̩ˌbɪldʊŋ] - Mass confrontation - A gathering of players, oftentimes, after fouls or controversial decisions.
8. Wadlbeißer, der: [va:tlbaɪ̯szɐ] - Calf biter - A tough defender. No worries, nothing macabre here.
9. Ehrentor, das: [ˈeːʀənˌtoːɐ̯] - Consolation goal - A goal scored by the team well behind in a game. None of these needed in the Champions League when we face Paris St. Germain ... right?!
10. Chancentod, der: [ʃɑ̃sɛnto:t] - Opportunity killer - Title given to someone who misses a lot of clear-cut goal chances. With Hansi Flick running out of options for strikers for the World Cup, this better not be a word we have to use soon.

Well, there we go! What expressions did or did you now know before? What country are you from and what languages do you speak? Let us know in the comments below! Danke! Gracias! Merci! Grazie! Obrigado!