Corner kick


A corner kick, commonly known as a corner, is the method of restarting play in a game of association football when the ball goes out of play over the goal line, without a goal being scored and having last been touched by a member of the defending team. The kick is taken from the corner of the field of play nearest to the place where the ball crossed the goal line.
Corners are considered to be a reasonable goal-scoring opportunity for the attacking side, though not as much as a penalty kick or a direct free kick near the edge of the penalty area.
A corner kick that scores without being touched by another player is called an Olimpico goal, or less commonly, Olympic goal.

Award

Ball going out of play having been touched last by defending side

A corner kick is awarded when the ball wholly crosses the goal line outside of the goal frame having been last touched by a member of the team defending that end of the pitch. For the purposes of this rule, it does not matter if this touch is deliberate; it is permissible to kick the ball at an opponent to win a corner kick.
A corner kick is also awarded instead of an own goal when the ball enters a team's goal, having been last touched by a member of the defending team, in the following rare situations:
  • directly from a kick-off, free kick, throw-in, goal kick, or corner kick.
  • from a dropped ball, if the ball has not been touched by at least two players.
The corner kick is taken from whichever corner was closer to the point where the ball went out of play.

Goalkeeper not releasing ball in time

Beginning in 2025, should a goalkeeper hold on to the ball for more than 8 seconds, a corner kick is awarded to the opposing side from the nearest corner to where this occurred. This rule was implemented to deter time-wasting and such penalisations are expected to be rare.

Procedure

  • The assistant referee will signal that a corner should be awarded by first raising his flag, then using it to point at the corner area on their side of the pitch; however, this is not an indication of which side the kick should be taken from. The referee signals the corner by pointing, with an upward extension of the arm, to the corner area from which the kick is to be taken.
  • The ball must be stationary and on the ground within the corner area formed by a quarter circle with a radius of one yard from the corner flagpost inside the field of play.
  • All opposing players must be at least 10 yards from the corner area until the ball is in play. Marks may optionally be made on the goal line and touchline at a distance of 10 yards from the corner area to assist the referee in enforcing this provision.
  • The ball is in play when it is kicked and clearly moves; it does not need to leave the corner area.
  • The player taking the corner kick may not touch the ball a second time before it has touched another player.
  • The attacking side may [|score directly from a corner kick], though this is uncommon. An own goal may not be scored directly: in the extremely unlikely event of the ball going directly into the attacking team's own goal from a corner kick, a corner kick would be awarded to the opposing side.
  • An attacking player who directly receives the ball from a corner kick cannot be penalised for offside.

    Infringements

If the kick is taken with a moving ball, or from the wrong place, the corner kick is retaken.
Opposing players must retire the required distance as stated above. Failure to do so promptly may constitute misconduct and be punished by a yellow card.
A player who excessively delays the restart of play is cautioned.
It is an offence for the kicker to touch the ball a second time before it has been touched by another player; this is punishable by an indirect free kick to the defending team from where the offence occurred, unless the second touch was also a more serious handling offence, in which case a direct free kick is awarded to the defending team.

Tactics in taking and defending a corner

A common tactic is for several attackers to stand close in front of the goal, whereupon the corner taker crosses the ball for them to head into the goal.
The defending team may choose to form a wall of players in an attempt to force the ball to be played to an area which is more easily defended. However, this is not done often because defending players must remain at least 10 yards from the ball until it is in play.
The defending team also has the choice of whether to instruct a player to adopt a position beside one or both of the goalposts to provide protection to the goal in addition to the goalkeeper. The thinking behind placing a player beside a goalpost is that it means more of the goal area is protected and there is no loss in the ability to play an offside trap because offside does not apply for the first touch from a corner, and it compensates for a keeper's positioning and/or reach.
The defending team also has to decide how many players it needs to defend a corner. Teams may withdraw every player into a defensive area, however this diminishes the potential for a counter-attack if possession is regained, and as such, allows the attacking side to commit more players to attacking the goal. Withdrawing all players into a defensive area also means that if the ball is cleared from an initial cross, it is more than likely that the attacking team will regain possession of the ball and begin a new attack.
In situations where a set-piece, such as a corner, is awarded to a side trailing by a single goal at the closing stages of a match where conceding further is of minimal consequence a team may commit all their players, including their goalkeeper, to the attack.

Man versus zonal marking

Two popular strategies used for defending corners are called man marking and zonal marking. Man marking involves each defensive player at a corner being given an attacking player to defend, with their objective being to stop the attacking player from heading the ball. The other tactic, zonal marking, involves allocating each player to an area of the box to defend. The objective for players in zonal marking is to get to the ball first if it enters their zone and head it away from danger before an attacking player can reach it.

Alternate tactics

Rather than the kicker attempting a cross, an alternative strategy for the attacking team is the short corner. The ball is passed to a player close the kicker, to create a better angle of approach toward the goal.
Teams attempting to time-waste may keep the ball in the corner of the pitch for as long as possible rather than attempt an attack.

Scoring a goal directly from a corner: ''Olimpico goal''

It is possible to score with a corner kick if sufficient swerve is given to the kick and/or if wind is blowing toward the goal. The goalkeeper is usually considered at fault if a goal is scored from a corner.
This type of goal is called an Olympic goal or Olimpico goal. On 14 June 1924, the IFAB formally legalized scoring in this manner; the first such goal was scored on 2 October 1924 by Argentina's Cesáreo Onzari against Uruguay, who had just won the 1924 Olympic title.
For decades, English speakers generally used the term Olympic goal. But the 21st century has seen the rise in the use of Olimpico goal, derived from the Spanish and Portuguese term gol olímpico widely used in Latin America. Max Bretos has used it on Fox Soccer Channel in the United States, reflecting Latino influence on the sport's culture there. Virtually all reports of Megan Rapinoe's goal for the United States in the bronze medal match at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics referred to it as an Olimpico goal.

Notable examples