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Day six’s Euro 2024 phrase is ‘sweep home’ which was used to describe a last gasp goal scored in the Croatia v Albania match. Learn what this phrase means by reading the post below. You can also check out our glossary of footballing phrases here and visit our site to access all our previous posts and podcasts. If you have any suggestions or questions then you can contact us at admin@languagecaster.com.
Sweep Home
The Croatia versus Albania game was a thriller, a really exciting game. And we will focus on the last goal in the game, scored in the 96th minute of injury time by Albanian midfielder Gjasula. We can describe how Gjasula scored by saying he swept home to score Albania’s second.
The game ended in a draw, and Gjasula’s goal was a dramatic equaliser. He swept home Mario Mitaj’s cross to earn a deserved draw.
So what does sweep home mean? Home means the goal; where the ball has to go in order for a goal to be allowed – so we can say smash home, slot home, head home, volley home, glance home and sweep home among others. They all mean that a goal has been scored but in different ways. For example, smash home suggests the ball was hit with power, head home is clearly used to describe a goal scored with the head such as a glancing or a bullet header, while sweep home gives the impression that the ball has been hit first time and maybe with the side of the foot. There is a sense that it is placed into the net.
Here is a description from SkySports.com:
“It looked like Albania would once again fall to a 2-1 defeat. But after two huge chances in added time, they finally scored a deserved equalised as Gjasula redeemed himself. Mario Mitaj sent in a fine ball for the midfielder to sweep home.”
Well done to Gjasula, who scored an own goal before this dramatic equaliser.
Related Vocabulary from the Glossary