Football commentary is full of terms that regular viewers no longer notice. If you are new to the game, ten of them will carry you through almost any match. Here they are in plain words.

Offside and cards

A player is in an offside position if, when a team-mate plays the ball, the player is in the opponents’ half and nearer to their goal line than both the ball and the second-last opponent. Being there is not an offence in itself. Play is stopped only if that player becomes involved in the action.

A yellow card is a caution from the referee. A red card means the player is sent off and cannot be replaced, so the team plays on a player short. A second yellow card for the same player in one match also brings a red.

Kicks and restarts

A free kick is awarded to a team after a foul or another offence by the opposition. From a direct free kick a goal can be scored straight away. From an indirect one the ball must touch another player before it goes in.

A penalty kick is given when a team commits, inside its own penalty area, a foul that would otherwise bring a direct free kick. It is taken from the penalty mark with only the goalkeeper defending the goal. All other players wait outside the area until the ball is struck.

A corner kick goes to the attacking side when the ball crosses the goal line, without a goal being scored, after last touching a defending player. A throw-in restarts play when the ball crosses a touchline, and it goes to the opponents of the player who touched the ball last.

Time and deciding a winner

Stoppage time is added by the referee at the end of each half. It makes up for time lost to substitutions, injuries and other delays.

Extra time is something different. In a knockout match that must produce a winner, a level score at the end of normal time can lead to two further periods of play, if the rules of the competition provide for them.

If the teams are still level, a penalty shoot-out follows. Players from each side take turns to shoot from the penalty mark against the opposing goalkeeper, and the side that scores more from the same number of kicks goes through.

A derby is a match between rival teams from the same city or region. Such games are known for a charged atmosphere in the stands and on the pitch.