Euro 24 Football Language Phrase Day 22: Score from open play
In this football language post we look at the phrase ‘Score from open play‘ after France yet again managed to qualify without scoring a goal from open play at the 2024 Euros. Don’t forget we have hundreds more explanations of football language in our football glossary and we also have a page full of football cliches. If you have questions or comments about this or any other phrase then email us at: admin@languagecaster.com.
Score from open play
France dramatically defeated Portugal on penalties in yesterday’s quarter final to set up a last-four meeting with Spain. The game finished 0-0 (a scoreless draw) and the teams could not be separated after another 30 minutes of extra time. Remarkably, France have only scored three goals in their five tournament matches and two of these have been own goals, while the other one was a penalty in the 1-1 draw against Poland in their final group game. This means that Les Bleus have not scored from open play in the whole of the tournament. To score from open play means that a team has not scored their goals from set pieces such as a free kick or a penalty but instead they have scored through a counter attack or they have created their own chances to score. Can France reach the final (or even win) without scoring from open play?
- Example: No side has ever gone longer without a goal from open play in the tournament’s history than France’s five games. (BBC.co.uk, July 5 2024)
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