The soccer corner is an opportunity for the attacking team to load the box with their biggest players as one of their teammates whips the ball into the centre of the box.
It’s a big part of the game, and it’s important that you understand what soccer corners are and why they occur.
Below, we explain everything you need to know about the soccer corner, so you’re well prepared when your team is awarded a corner by the referee.
What is a corner in soccer?
A soccer corner is awarded when the ball goes behind the goal line, providing it is touched last by the defending team. The resulting set play is known as a corner kick, and it’s a good opportunity for the attacking team to score a goal. We explain everything you need to know about the soccer corner in the following sections.
How do you win a corner in soccer?
When your opponent kicks or heads the ball behind their goal line, the referee awards your team a corner. The same is true when the opposition goalkeeper tips the ball over or around the woodwork, and it goes out of play.
However, some teams actually play to win corners, as they’re particularly dangerous from set plays. To win a soccer corner, you need to try and play the ball of the opposition when you’re close to the goal line.
While it doesn’t always work out, if you’re close to your opponents, you will find that they don’t have a great deal of time to sort out their feet, and the ball is likely to go out of play for a corner.
How often are goals scored from soccer corners?
Statistics show that approximately 3% of corners result in goals, which isn’t particularly encouraging. When you consider the fact that most teams load the box with eight or nine players, you would think that corners would result in more goals.
This statistic is a testament to the way that teams defend corners, and you will find that most coaches spend a lot of time out on the training pitch conducting drills that help their defenders protect their goal at corner kicks.
The teams that score the most goals from soccer corners typically work on inventive set plays and don’t just simply load the ball into the box. Defenders are prepared for a delivery and will head or clear the ball away more often than not.
So, to give yourself and your teammates the best possible chance of scoring from a corner, you need to practice your routines out on the training field before executing them on game day.
Can you score directly from a corner?
If you have the skill, there’s absolutely no reason why you can’t score from a corner. However, in order to whip the ball into the net from the corner spot requires a lot of skill and a great deal of technique, so you don’t see goals scored from corners very often.
When goals are scored directly from corners, you will find that the goalkeeper is often at fault. This is because they have anticipated the ball swinging into the centre of the penalty area and have left their goal unguarded.
Still, it’s pretty special when you see a goal directly from a corner kick, and whether the taker meant it or not, it’s an impressive piece of skill that needs to be acknowledged and appreciated!
How do you attack a corner kick?
There are lots of ways to attack a corner kick, and your approach will largely depend on your team’s tactics. The most common way of attacking a corner is for the taker to whip the ball into the centre of the six-yard-box while your biggest players attack the ball and try and head it into the net.
This approach doesn’t require a great deal of thought, and more often than not, the defenders will clear the ball away with ease. This is why it’s important to work on corner kick routines on the training field.
Short corners that change the angle of the cross and routines that involve different runs made by your attackers can all confuse defenders. So, the more routines you work on in training, the more likely you are to score from a corner kick.
How do you defend a corner kick?
Most teams employ one of two tactics when defending a corner kick – man-marking or zonal marking. Man marking is where you choose an opponent to mark and stick with them while they’re in the penalty area. It’s your responsibility to keep close to the player and defend the ball if it comes near you.
On the other hand, zonal marking is all about defending specific areas within the penalty area. It requires a great deal of coordination, and every player needs to be aware of their responsibilities. If just one person makes a mistake during zonal marking, it’s likely to result in a goal.
Unless you practice zonal marking on the training field, we’d recommend sticking to man marking corners. It’s much easier to organise out on the pitch, and your defenders will sort out for themselves which players they will stick to before the corner is played into the box.
Can you be offside from a corner?
Given that the ball needs to travel forward for an offside offence to occur, it’s nearly impossible to be offside from a corner, as it is taken from the goal line, and players can’t go any further forward! Therefore, most corners are played backwards towards the attacking players.
One notable exception is if your team plays a short corner. For instance, if you roll the ball into play for one of your teammates to whip into the box, the defenders might step up in unison and play one of the attackers offside in the penalty area. While this doesn’t happen very often, it’s worth thinking about.
Also, trying to play offside from a short corner is incredibly risky, and defenders are much better to try and clear the ball when it comes into the box, rather than stepping up and trying to catch attackers offside.
Who should you choose to take a corner in soccer?
Anyone in your team can take a corner, but it’s best to give the job to a player with the right attributes. A corner taker should be someone who can generate whip and curl on the ball and has excellent technique from a dead ball situation.
While it’s not always the case, corners are often taken by wingers and fullbacks. But rather than considering the position of the corner taker, it’s much better to think about the attributes that each individual player has before allocating the responsibility.
The last thing you want to do is waste your opportunities from soccer corners, given that there’s a relatively low chance of scoring a goal from them in the first place.
Recap: The soccer corner
The soccer corner is a big part of the game and is an opportunity for the attacking team to score a goal. But in spite of this, only 3% of corners result in goals, which suggests that we all need to get a little better at practising them out on the training field!