This is the 5198th most frequent Portuguese word.
penal
"Penal" in Portuguese means "related to punishment or penalties, especially in a legal context."
Here, 'penal' is associated with 'codigo penal', referring to laws and regulations related to criminal matters.
O código penal estabelece as normas para crimes.
The criminal code defines the rules for crimes.
In this sentence, 'penal' modifies 'sanção', indicating that the punishment is related to a legal or criminal context.
A sanção penal foi aplicada ao infrator.
The penalty sanction was applied to the offender.
The use of 'penalizado' here derives from 'penal', and it means that the player received a penalty, although not necessarily in a legal or judicial context.