Corner kick
A corner kick is awarded to the attacking team when the ball wholly crosses the goal line, without a goal being scored, having last touched a player of the defending team. It is taken from the corner arc at the corner of the pitch.
In statistics, corners won serve as a marker of attacking pressure: a team that attacks a lot, crosses often and sees its shots blocked or deflected piles up corners. The link with the result is weak, though: a team that is behind pushes forward and wins corners, while the team in front defends and concedes them. A goal can be scored directly from a corner, but it is rare; the value lies mostly in rehearsed set-piece routines.
To read a corner average, look at both the corners won and conceded by each team, its style (wide play and crosses or play through the middle) and the context of the match. Two high averages do not guarantee a match full of corners: the way the scoreline unfolds can change everything.
Corners are also offered as markets by betting operators: total corners (over or under 9.5, for example), team with the most corners, first corner… These markets are highly unpredictable, because a match total can vary threefold depending on how the game plays out.
Example
A match ends with 6 corners for team A and 4 for team B, 10 in total. On an « over 9.5 corners » line that total is above; on a 10.5 line it is below.
How Elofoot uses it
Elofoot does not calculate any corner probabilities. In the AI analysis, both teams' actual corner averages are read as context and, together with shot volume, feed the match tempo index (0 to 100).
Frequently asked questions
- When is a corner kick awarded?
- When the ball wholly crosses the goal line, without a goal being scored, having last touched a player of the defending team.
- Can you score directly from a corner?
- Yes, but only against the opposing team. It is rare, and is known as an « olympic goal ».
- How many corners are there per match on average?
- In the major leagues, around 10 in total per match, with wide variations depending on the teams and how the game unfolds.
See also
Go further
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