Idioms about football from different countries.
An impressive shot into the top corner of the goal is what the French describe as "sweeping away the cobwebs."
The Germans say "gras fressen," which translates to "eating grass" in English, to describe playing football with the goal of winning, fighting hard, and making many tackles. The team's passion and determination are likened to wanting to eat the grass on the field.
In English, "a fox in the box" refers to a very skilled striker who scores many goals, especially from penalty kicks.
The Spanish use the phrase "to give someone a bath" to describe completely and convincingly defeating an opponent.
The French have an interesting analogy: "sweeping away the cobwebs" when referring to a powerful shot that hits the top corner of the goal.
Polish football fans said "the referee is Wellington's boot" to express their dissatisfaction with the way he made decisions on the pitch.
In Swedish, "Zlatanera" means to play an impressive piece of football, like the way the country's famous player Zlatan Ibrahimovic often does.
If a goalkeeper makes a serious mistake, such as letting the ball slip through their legs, the Portuguese describe it as "catching a chicken".
The Italian expression "the shot was pre-planned" refers to a terrible shot whose trajectory is predictable, as if the striker had called the goalkeeper to tell them exactly where to shoot.
