Domaren gav hemmalaget en straff.

In Swedish, the definite article is usually attached to the end of the noun instead of being a separate word like the in English.

• domare = a referee / referee
• domaren = the referee

So -n here is the definite ending.

Because Swedish very often forms compound nouns as a single word.

• hemmalag = home team
• hemmalaget = the home team

This is very normal in Swedish. English often uses two words where Swedish prefers one compound word.

Because the main noun inside hemmalag is lag, and lag is a neuter noun:

• ett lag = a team
• laget = the team

In Swedish compounds, the last part usually controls the grammar. So:

• ett hemmalag = a home team
• hemmalaget = the home team

gav is the past tense of the irregular verb ge, which means to give.

Its main forms are:

• infinitive: ge
• present: ger
• past: gav
• supine: gett

So the sentence is in the past tense: the referee gave / awarded the home team a penalty.

Both ideas are possible, depending on context.

The basic meaning of ge is to give, but in sports or official contexts it can also mean to award. In natural English, this sentence is often translated with awarded because a referee is not physically handing something over.

So Swedish uses gav, but English may prefer awarded.

After ge, Swedish often uses the same pattern English can use in sentences like gave the team a penalty.

So:

• Domaren gav hemmalaget en straff.

has this structure:

• subject: Domaren
• verb: gav
• recipient: hemmalaget
• thing given: en straff

You can also say:

• Domaren gav en straff till hemmalaget.

That version uses till = to, but with ge, the version without till is very common.

This is a very common learner question.

In general Swedish, straff as the noun punishment / penalty is normally neuter:

• ett straff
• straffet

But in sports, en straff is very common as a shortened form of en straffspark (a penalty kick).

So in a football-style sentence like this, en straff is natural and idiomatic. If you were talking about punishment in general, you would normally use ett straff.

Yes. Straff can mean several related things, depending on context:

• punishment
• sentence
• penalty
• in sports, penalty kick / penalty shot

Here, because the sentence mentions the referee and the home team, the sports meaning is the obvious one.

Yes, it is normal.

Swedish main clauses usually follow verb-second word order. Here the subject comes first:

• Domaren = first position
• gav = second position

Then come the objects:

• hemmalaget
• en straff

So the whole sentence has a very standard structure.

You can move things around for emphasis, but the verb normally still stays in second position:

• Igår gav domaren hemmalaget en straff.

That is still normal Swedish.

Not always. The sentence is understandable and natural enough, especially in a sports context, but Swedish also has other common ways to express the same idea.

For example, you may also hear:

• Domaren dömde straff till hemmalaget.
• Domaren gav hemmalaget straff.

So the exact wording can vary, but the grammar in your sentence is still useful and very understandable.