Goal
Middle English (in the sense ‘limit, boundary’): of unknown origin.
wiktionary
From Middle English gol(“boundary, limit”), from Old English *gāl(“obstacle, barrier, marker”), suggested by its derivatives Old English gǣlan(“to hinder, delay, impede, keep in suspense, linger, hesitate, dupe”), and hyġegǣls(“hesitating, slow, sluggish”), hyġegǣlsa(“slow one, sluggish one”). Possibly cognate with Lithuanian gãlas(“end”), Latvian gals(“end”), Old Prussian gallan(“death”), Albanian ngalem(“to be limping, lame, paralyzed”), ngel(“to remain, linger, hesitate, get stuck”).
etymonline
goal (n.)
1530s, "end point of a race," of uncertain origin. It appears once before this (as gol), in a poem from early 14c. and with an apparent sense of "boundary, limit." Perhaps from Old English *gal "obstacle, barrier," a word implied by gælan "to hinder" and also found in compounds (singal, widgal). That would make it a variant or figurative use of Middle English gale "a way, course." Also compare Old Norse geil "a narrow glen, a passage." Or from Old French gaule "long pole, stake," which is from Germanic. Sports sense of "place where the ball, etc. is put to score" is attested from 1540s. Figurative sense of "object of an effort" is from 1540s.
