das  Eckball

B2

Estimated CEFR level.

/ˈɛkˌbal/

⚽ What exactly is an Eckball?

An Eckball (also called Eckstoß) is a standard situation in football (soccer) and some other ball sports. It occurs when the ball was last touched by a player of the defending team and went over their own goal line (but not into the goal).

The ball is brought back into play by a player of the attacking team from one of the corners of the field (within the quarter circle).

🚨 Important Note on the Article: You asked for "das Eckball". However, in standard German, the word is masculine: der Eckball. This is derived from the base word "der Ball" (the ball). Using "das Eckball" is incorrect. We will explain the grammar using the correct article der.

📐 Grammar: Der Eckball in Detail

As mentioned, the correct gender (Genus) of Eckball is masculine (maskulin). Therefore, the correct article is der.

Declension of "der Eckball" (Standard)

Example Sentences for Eckball

• Der Schiedsrichter entschied auf Eckball für die Heimmannschaft.
  (The referee decided on a corner kick for the home team.)
• Nach dem Eckball entstand eine gefährliche Situation vor dem Tor.
  (After the corner kick, a dangerous situation arose in front of the goal.)
• Der Spezialist schoss den Eckball direkt aufs Tor.
  (The specialist shot the corner kick directly at the goal.)
• Die Mannschaft trainierte gestern viele Eckbälle.
  (The team practiced many corner kicks yesterday.)

⚠️ The declension for the incorrect "das Eckball" would theoretically follow the neuter declension (das Eckball, des Eckballs, dem Eckball, das Eckball; Plural: die Eckbälle), but it is grammatically wrong and should be avoided.

🗣️ When and How to Use "Eckball"?

The term der Eckball is mainly used in the context of sports like football (soccer), hockey, or indoor soccer.

• In match reports: "In der 78. Minute gab es den entscheidenden Eckball." (In the 78th minute, the decisive corner kick occurred.)
• As an instruction/commentary: "Schnell den Eckball ausführen!" (Take the corner kick quickly!)
• In tactical discussions: "Unsere Eckball-Variante hat gut funktioniert." (Our corner kick variation worked well.)

Common verbs used with Eckball are: bekommen (to get), zusprechen (to award), ausführen (to take/execute), schießen (to shoot), or verwandeln (to convert, i.e., score a goal from it).

Risk of confusion: An Abstoß (goal kick) or a Freistoß (free kick) are different set pieces and not corner kicks.

🧠 Mnemonics for Eckball

For the article (der): Think of the base word: It's der Ball (the ball, masculine) that comes from die Ecke (the corner). The last part determines the gender: so it's der Eckball.

For the meaning: Imagine the ball is stuck in the Ecke (corner) and needs a special 'kick' or 'ball' to get back into play – the Eckball (corner kick)!

🔄 Synonyms and Related Terms

😂 A Little Football Joke

DE: Fragt der Trainer seinen Stürmer: "Warum hast du den Eckball denn direkt ins Seitenaus geschossen?" Antwortet der Stürmer: "Trainer, Sie haben doch gesagt, ich soll für Überraschungsmomente sorgen!"

EN: The coach asks his striker: "Why did you shoot the corner kick directly out of bounds?" The striker replies: "Coach, you told me I should create moments of surprise!"

📜 Poem: Corner Kick Tension

DE: Der Pfiff ertönt, die Menge raunt,
ein Eckball wurde anberaumt.
Der Schütze legt den Ball zurecht,
hoch in den Strafraum fliegt er echt.
Ein Kopfball... knapp am Tor vorbei,
so spannend kann ein Eckball sei'.

EN: The whistle blows, the crowd murmurs low,
A corner kick's awarded, here we go.
The kicker places the ball with care,
High into the box it flies through air.
A header... just wide of the goal's frame,
So thrilling can be a corner kick game.

❓ Little Eckball Riddle

DE: Ich starte in des Feldes Quadrant,
werd' ausgeführt mit Fuß statt Hand.
Geht der Ball vom Verteidiger ins Toraus,
ruf ich die Stürmer schnell heraus.

Was bin ich?

EN: I start in the field's quadrant square,
Taken with the foot, not hand, I swear.
If the ball from the defender goes out by the goal,
I call the attackers to play their role.

What am I?
(Solution: Der Eckball / The Corner Kick)

🧩 Word Composition & Trivia

The word "Eckball" is a compound noun (Kompositum), composed of:

• die Ecke: the corner (refers to the corner of the playing field).
• der Ball: the ball (the object used in the game).

Even though "Ecke" is feminine, the last word in the compound noun ("Ball", masculine) determines the gender of the whole word. Therefore, it's der Eckball.

Trivia: Scoring a goal directly from a corner kick is rare but possible and is sometimes called an "Olympic goal".