Η σέντρα πάει κατευθείαν στο τέρμα.

Η is the feminine singular definite article, so here it means the.

It agrees with σέντρα, which is a feminine noun in Greek. So:

• η σέντρα = the cross / the center ball / the kick-off, depending on context

In this sentence, η σέντρα is the subject of the verb.

In Modern Greek, σέντρα is treated as a feminine noun.

That is very common for nouns ending in -α, especially borrowed words that have been fully absorbed into everyday Greek. So you get:

• η σέντρα
• της σέντρας
• τη σέντρα

Even though this word comes from a foreign source, Greek still assigns it a grammatical gender, and here that gender is feminine.

Πάει is the 3rd person singular present form of πάω, meaning to go.

So:

• πάω = I go
• πάει = he/she/it goes

Here it agrees with the singular subject η σέντρα, so literally:

• Η σέντρα πάει... = The cross goes...

A learner may also meet πηγαίνει, which is a more formal equivalent of πάει. In everyday speech, πάει is extremely common.

In Greek, the simple present often covers both English goes and is going, depending on context.

So πάει can mean:

• goes
• is going

In a sports context, Greek very naturally uses the present tense for live action, just like English commentary often does:

• The cross goes straight to goal
• Η σέντρα πάει κατευθείαν στο τέρμα

So nothing extra is needed to express the ongoing action.

Κατευθείαν is an adverb. It means straight, directly, or straight ahead, depending on context.

Here it modifies the verb πάει:

• πάει κατευθείαν = goes straight / goes directly

It does not change form for gender, number, or case. It stays κατευθείαν.

Στο is a contraction of:

• σε = to / into / at
• το = the (neuter singular)

So:

• σε το → στο

This is completely normal in Greek and happens very often.

Here:

• στο τέρμα = to the goal

After σε (and therefore after στο), Greek normally uses the accusative.

So στο τέρμα is a prepositional phrase with accusative meaning.

A useful detail: τέρμα is a neuter noun, and in the singular its nominative and accusative forms look the same:

• nominative: το τέρμα
• accusative: το τέρμα

So you do not see a form change here, but grammatically it is accusative after σε / στο.

In general Greek, τέρμα can mean things like:

• end
• finish
• termination

But in sports, especially football, το τέρμα very often means:

• the goal
• sometimes the goalmouth or the net, depending on context

So in this sentence it refers to the football goal, not just an abstract end.

Greek often leaves out subject pronouns when they are not needed. This is called a pro-drop language.

In English, you often need a subject pronoun:

• It goes straight to goal

In Greek, the verb ending and the noun already make the subject clear:

• Η σέντρα πάει...

So adding a separate pronoun would usually be unnecessary.

Yes. Greek word order is more flexible than English word order.

The neutral order here is:

• Η σέντρα πάει κατευθείαν στο τέρμα.

But you could also hear variations such as:

• Πάει κατευθείαν στο τέρμα η σέντρα.

That can sound more like commentary or put different emphasis on the action.

Even when the order changes, the meaning usually stays the same because Greek marks structure with articles, endings, and context more than English does.

A simple pronunciation guide would be:

• i SEN-tra PA-i ka-tef-THIAN sto TER-ma

A few helpful notes:

• η sounds like ee
• σέντρα has the stress on SEN
• πάει is pronounced in two syllables: PA-i
• θ sounds like th in think
• τέρμα has the stress on TER

So the rhythm is roughly:

• i SEN-tra PA-i ka-tef-THIAN sto TER-ma

Yes, very natural.

It sounds like something you could hear in football commentary or use when describing a play. Greek often uses short, direct present-tense sentences in sports language, and this fits that style well.

So as a football sentence, Η σέντρα πάει κατευθείαν στο τέρμα sounds idiomatic and normal.