Throw-ins are one of the most common set-pieces that occur throughout a game of Soccer, they occur so often that they are usually not even recorded in the final statistics of the game.
Given that throw-ins are so common, you may be wondering whether you can actually score directly from a throw-in? Well, soon you won’t have to wonder because today we are going to answer this question.
It’s not possible to score directly from a throw-in. If the ball enters the goal directly from a throw-in, a goal kick is awarded. In order to score from a throw-in, a player needs to touch the ball before it enters the net.
What Is a Throw-In?
Before we get into the technical aspects of whether or not you can score from a throw-in, we must first understand what one actually is. Essentially, a throw-in is (as the name would suggest) when a player can pick up the ball when it is no longer in play and throw it back onto the pitch to restart the game.
A throw-in is awarded whenever the ball leaves the playing area to the side of the pitch. The throw-in is then given to the team that did not put the ball out of play (so if the defending team kicks the ball out, the throw-in is given to the attacking team).
There is only one way that a throw-in can be taken, this is to stop the ball from traveling too far up the pitch when it is taken. To take a throw-in a player must stand with both feet firmly rooted to the ground and throw the ball with two hands over their head.
If any of these rules are disobeyed (for example a player takes a large run-up or an underarm throw-in), a foul throw is awarded, and the opposition then gets to take the throw-in instead. Foul throws are very rare in the modern game though but do sometimes occur.
So, Can I Score From One?
Given that a throw-in is a set-piece, you could be excused for thinking that you can score directly from one, just like you could from a corner or a free-kick. In reality, though, you cannot score from a throw-in directly and there are a number of reasons why.
Firstly, there are now many great throw-in takers that play the game (think of Rory Delap or even Dave Challinor if you’re old enough). These players can launch the ball from insane distances in order for one of their teammates to get on the end of their throw and score a goal.
If you allowed a player like this to have the chance to score directly from a throw-in, it would ruin the game entirely. Teams would simply abandon other tactics in favor of a long throw-in specialist that could make getting a throw-in comparable to being awarded a penalty kick.
Ok, so it would still be rare to see a player score directly from a throw-in given the ability of top-tier goalkeepers these days, however, it could still happen and that is something that fans around the world would likely be very upset about.
How Could You Score From a Throw-In?
Whilst you may not be able to score directly from a throw-in under the current laws of the game, there are ways that your team can take advantage of a throw-in and score a goal.
As we mentioned earlier, long throw-in specialists are a rare and often valuable commodity to have within your squad. They cannot simply launch the ball into the back of the net, but they can throw it into the 18-yard box for the attackers to get on the end of.
If a long throw-in is taken correctly, it can cause chaos in the defending team’s box and lead to the attackers getting the better of their opposition and potentially scoring a great-headed goal. This is a tactic that has been used by English side Cheltenham Town for some years now, with the Gloucestershire-based team becoming experts of the long throw-in routine.
There are other ways to score from a throw-in if you don’t have a long throw specialist in your ranks though. A short throw-in can be just as effective if taken right.
Once your team is near to the opposition’s goal, simply throw the ball to a player on the edge of the box for them to deliver a cross in for your strikers to head into the net. Similarly, if a player receives the ball from a throw-in shooting position, they can score with their feet too.
There is also a way that you can score from an opposition throw-in, but your team must be experts at high-pressing tactics. When the opposition has a throw-in deep in their own half, you can pen them in and steal the ball once they have thrown it back onto the pitch and score any way you usually would.
It’s a tough thing to master, but if you get it right, it can catch even the best teams napping.
Will The Rules Ever Change?
It is highly unlikely that FIFA will ever allow a rule change that means you can score directly from a throw-in, this is due to the fact that association football is over a century old and has very rarely seen wholesale changes to the fabric of the game.
As we stated earlier, changing the laws of the game to suit the wants of a few people are not something that fans and the media would take kindly to.
Perhaps allowing players to score directly from throw-in would add excitement as defending teams would have to think harder about how they set themselves up whenever a throw-in is given.
In reality, though, it would just lead to teams overusing the tactic and ultimately sapping the joy out of set-piece routines. Having seen what teams with long throw-in specialists are capable of, it really does get on your nerves quickly and you long for a player who can’t throw the ball very far to take the next one.
There we have it! hopefully, now you know that you cannot score directly from a throw-in in soccer, however, there are many different ways that you can use them to your advantage in order to score a goal.
