Breakdown of Ein absichtliches Foul führt oft zu einem Elfmeter.
ein
a, an (eine)
oft
often
führen
to lead / to conduct (a conversation or interview)
zu
to (direction, + dative)
Questions & Answers about Ein absichtliches Foul führt oft zu einem Elfmeter.
This sentence doesn't use zugunsten, but could I add it to say the penalty is 'in favor of' the other team?
Yes! You could expand the sentence to ...führt oft zu einem Elfmeter zugunsten der anderen Mannschaft. Remember that zugunsten takes the genitive case. It is a great way to specify who benefits from the penalty, perfectly fitting this lesson's theme.
Why is it absichtliches with an -es ending?
The English loanword Foul is neuter in German (das Foul). Because it follows the indefinite article ein, which doesn't show the neuter gender in the nominative case, the adjective has to do the heavy lifting and take the strong neuter ending -es.
Does führen always take the preposition zu when it means 'leads to'?
Yes, when expressing that an action results in a consequence, you use the fixed combination führen zu followed by the dative case. This is why we see the dative ending in einem Elfmeter.
Why is a penalty kick called an Elfmeter?
It literally translates to 'eleven meters'. In soccer, the penalty spot is exactly 11 meters from the goal line. It is very common in German to name sports terms after their literal measurements.