Dialogo

A: You know, I don’t know anything about soccer. Can you help me understand it?

J: Sure. What do you want to know?

A: Well, to beginwith, how many players are there in a team?

J: There are eleven players in each team. The players can kick or head the ball, but they can’t touchwith their hands.

A: Nobody?

J: Only the goalkeeper can touch it!

A: How long does the game last?

J: Two 45-minute halves. The teamthat scores the most goals is the winner.

A: And what happens if there is a tie?

J: Well, there are 30 minutes of extra time. And ifthere is still a tie, a penalty shootout can decide the winner.

A: Tell me something. What is a foul?

J: That’s easy. Players can tackle anopponent in order to get the ball, but they can’t push them or use violence. Touching the ball with the hands is also considered a foul. Fouls canbe penalized with a free kick. If a foul is committed in the penalty area near one of the goalposts, the referee can award a penalty kick.A: What is that?

J: A player can have a free shot at goal, with only the goalkeeper being allowed to try to block it. Now, if a player commitsa more serious offence, the referee can issue a yellow card as a warning, or issue a red card, in which case the player is sent off and cannotbe replaced by a substitute.

A: And an offside? What is that?

J: I’ll tell you about that one next time! The match is starting now.