Meaning & use
goals against
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Meanings
nounpluralsport
In team sports, the total number of goals scored by the opposing team.
Grammar: Plural noun; use a plural verb: 'their goals against were high'.
Patterns
- goals against someone
- goals for and against
Their goals against went up after the defender was injured.
The team has scored ten goals and conceded eight goals against.
Coaches compare goals for and goals against to judge performance.
nounpluralsport
A statistic showing how many goals a team or goalkeeper has conceded.
Grammar: Often written as a column heading: 'Goals Against'.
Patterns
- record goals against
- goals against average
The goalkeeper has the lowest goals against in the league.
The table lists goals against for every team.
His goals against average improved this season.
Common combinations
- goals for and against
- The report shows goals for and against for each club.
- goals against average
- Her goals against average is the best in the division.
- concede goals against
- They conceded three goals against the champions.
- low goals against
- The team's low goals against helped them win the title.
Synonyms and how they differ
- conceded
- A verb meaning allowed the opponent to score; goals against is the countable statistic.
- against
- As a preposition it introduces the opponent, as in 'goals against United'.
Opposites
Word family
- goal noun
- A point scored in a game.
- goals for noun
- The number of goals a team has scored.
Commonly confused: goals against or goals for?
goals against vs goals for
Goals for are scored by your team; goals against are scored by the other team.
Practice
In football, what does 'goals against' mean?
Choose one answer.
'Goals against' counts goals scored by the opposing team, so it means goals conceded. 'Goals for' is the opposite.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “goals against”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.