There are lots of terms applied to the beautiful game of soccer, which means it can be confusing for beginners to fully understand what’s happening!
In this article, we explain – what does “concede” mean in soccer? – and introduce you to some top tips that will help you improve your defensive shape!
We also look at the worst defensive display in the history of the game and show you what happens when your team concedes too many goals!
What does “concede” mean in soccer?
Conceding in soccer refers to the number of goals your team lets in during one game. For instance, if you lose a match 4-0, you will have conceded four goals. This total is then added to your goal difference for the season, which will affect the standings at the end of the campaign. Let’s look at what it means to concede in soccer in more detail below.
What happens when you concede?
When you concede in soccer, the opposition has scored a goal against you. Unfortunately, this is just part of the game, and there’s not a great deal you can do about it after the ball has gone into the back of your net.
Of course, in the professional game, the VAR checks whether the goal should stand by the rules of the game, but other than that, you won’t be dealt a reprieve. In recreational soccer, when you concede, that’s it!
The game is restarted by a kick-off, and you can do your best to score against your opponents to try and improve the scoreline. But ultimately, if you concede more goals than you score in soccer, you will lose the match.
Which team has conceded the most goals in a soccer game?
The team that has conceded the most goals in a soccer game is Stade Olympique L’Emyrne, a team from Madagascar. As reported by the Guardian, Stade Olympique lost 149-0 to the Madagascar champions AS Adema, but the concession of goals was deliberate.
As it transpires, Stade Olympique were protesting against what they perceived to be a case of biased refereeing, and their 149-0 defeat was nothing short of a protest against the soccer authorities in the country.
Regardless, the game still stands in the history books, and Madagascar’s Stade Olympique L’Emyrne are known as the team that has conceded the most goals ever in a soccer match.
How to stop conceding in soccer? (Four tips)
If you’re struggling to keep the ball out of the back of your net, there are some things you can do about it. Here are four tips that will help you tighten things up and concede fewer goals in soccer this season.
Park the bus
One of the best ways to tighten things up at the back is to park the bus. This is a defensive mindset that you and your teammates can adapt to prevent your opponents from scoring. We’ve covered the topic in detail in another blog post, but the premise is relatively simple.
You shape up with the sole intention of preventing the other team from scoring. You do this by playing ultra defensively and shutting down the space that leads to your goal. When done properly, parking the bus undoubtedly works.
However, if you’re planning to park the bus, you should do it at the same time as changing your formation, as we explain below.
Change your formation
One of the first things you should address when looking to concede fewer goals in soccer is your formation. If you’re too open and attacking, your opponents will find it easy to get through your backline and launch attacks on your goal.
Recently, we wrote about the best soccer formations for weak teams, and we suggested tightening things up with a 4-5-1 or 5-4-1 formation. These tactics are easy to employ and will help you form a much more defensive shape.
If you change your formation and commit to parking the bus, particularly when you come up against strong opposition, you’re much more likely to concede fewer goals as a result.
Practice defending from set plays
Although you might be conceding goals from different areas of the field, lots of teams struggle when it comes to defending set plays. Set plays occur when a team has a corner, throw-in, or free-kick, and they typically have a good chance of getting the ball in your box.
Naturally, this increases the risk of conceding goals, particularly if you’re not well organized. Therefore, you need to spend some time out on the training pitch defending set plays. There are lots of ways to do this, but most teams take a man-on-man or zonal approach.
If you put in the time and effort to defend set plays, you will have a much better chance of keeping your opponents out in upcoming fixtures.
Schedule more training sessions
A lack of cohesion between team members is another reason why you might be conceding lots of goals in soccer. The best way to rectify this is to schedule more training sessions, during which you work on your defensive shape.
As mentioned above, you can work on your set plays during training, but you should also think about the way you set up your formation and various other aspects relating to your defensive play.
Ultimately, if you don’t work on your defensive shape in training, you can’t expect to keep a clean sheet when matchday comes around.
Can you concede a game?
The term “conceding” is used in soccer to refer to the concession of goals rather than games. However, in recreational and amateur soccer, you can concede a game if you don’t have enough players to fulfill the fixture.
This could be due to illness, injury, or ineligibility, for instance. If you concede a game before showing up for the match, you will be handed a 3-0 defeat by the authorities.
Just be careful doing this, though. Most leagues and cups have rules regarding how many games you can concede in a year. If you end up conceding too many, you might be removed from the league.
Recap: Conceding in soccer
Conceding goals is part and parcel of soccer, and there’s not a great deal you can do when the ball sails past your goalie and into the back of the net.
However, you can work on your tactics and defensive shape in training to keep things tight and ensure you’re less likely to concede a goal.
After all, the better your team is at defending, the less likely you are to concede.