Sports
Pace, swerve, angle – the art of the ‘olimpico’, football’s (usually) rare phenomenon
Oscar Wilde once famously wrote that “to concede one goal direct from a corner is a misfortune, to concede two in eight days looks like carelessness.”
The thoughts of Oscar, noted corner-kick scholar, may have been rushing through the heads of anyone associated with Manchester United recently after they allowed not one but two ‘olimpicos’ — which, if you’re not familiar with the term, means scoring directly from a corner — in just over a week, in two different competitions.
The first came from Son Heung-min in that madcap Carabao Cup quarter-final against Tottenham, his corner sailing over second-choice keeper Altay Bayindir and into the net. The second saw Matheus Cunha flummox Andre Onana, with the help of some judiciously positioned Wolves defenders, in the Premier League on Boxing Day.
The olimpico is a relatively rare phenomenon. You tend not to get more than one a season, if that, so United managing to let two in over such a short period of time is fairly extraordinary. Although given their problems with defending set pieces and their general existential crisis, if you were going to predict which team this would happen to, it would probably be them.
The instinct is to write these goals off as flukes, misdirected crosses that rely on goalkeeping errors to go in, not genuine attempts to score by the corner taker. How can the attacker possibly mean it when they can’t see the goal?
That’s certainly true of some. However, many of them exist in a sort of grey area, where there’s intent from the corner taker and the attacking team, and the aim is ultimately reached, if perhaps not through entirely conventional means.
Former Blackburn Rovers winger Morten Gamst Pedersen, still playing aged 43 back in his native Norway, has made scoring olimpicos something of a signature move in the latter days of his career. He scored three of them in one season a few years ago, and claims he once scored five in one game, in his youth.
Pedersen celebrates a Premier League goal for Blackburn in 2005 (Paul Mcfegan/Sportsphoto/Allstar via Getty Images)
His contention is that even if the taker isn’t always ‘shooting’ per se, a goal is the ultimate conclusion of a well-struck corner anyway.
“If the ball can go straight in, it’s like a perfect free kick,” he tells The Athletic. “You’re aiming for the far corner, and loads of things can happen, the goalkeeper can get distracted. If it would go in anyway with nobody there, it’s a good corner.
“You see with what Arsenal have been doing this season: loads of the corners they’ve been scoring from, if nobody touched it, the ball would have gone straight in anyway.
“It’s about creating those situations as close to the goal line as possible. Anything can happen.”
This is a sentiment echoed by another olimpico specialist, the former Wycombe Wanderers full-back Joe Jacobson. He scored two in one game (as part of a hat-trick of set pieces) against Lincoln in 2019, and a number of others over his career.
Here it is!
One of the most incredible hat-tricks you’ll see. pic.twitter.com/N7jbaWsD9T
— Wycombe Wanderers (@wwfcofficial) September 9, 2019
“I don’t think I ever set out thinking, ‘I’m gonna hit it in the top corner’,” Jacobson says, “but there’d be plenty of times when the coach would tell me, ‘Get it on target, as if it’s a shot’, so that if someone gets a nick or anything it can go in.
“I think inswinging corners went out of fashion for a while — there were a lot of studies showing that if you do outswingers, then defensive headers don’t go as far. Now all of a sudden Arsenal have kind of made inswingers popular again.”
On some occasions though, the taker is definitely trying to shoot.
Megan Rapinoe famously scored directly from a corner at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, having done so nine years earlier in London. The first instance might not have been entirely intentional, but the second was. According to her, at least.
“I meant this one,” she told the media after that game against Australia in Tokyo. “I actually said it to Vlatko (Andonovski) and our assistant coach Laura Harvey yesterday. They were saying ‘Put it here, this is where we want to go, this is kind of the game plan,’ and I was like ‘Well, I might just shoot it.’”
Pedersen’s became so frequent and clear that his colleagues adjusted their movements accordingly.
“At one stage one my team-mate, who played centre-half, asked me before I took the corner, ‘Morten, are you going to shoot?’ I said yes, so he just stayed back on the halfway line.”
Pedersen would practise corners as if he was trying to score, even if most of the time someone would intervene before it got to the net. “When I played for Tromso at the beginning of my career, I would put a basketball hoop and board in front of the goal, and aim for that,” he says.
From a layman’s perspective, it seems that the secret to a dangerous inswinging corner is to get as much swerve on the ball as possible, so the taker must adjust the way they strike the ball accordingly. But Jacobson suggests that, while swerve is a factor, pace and delivery angle is much more important.
“You see loads of times where it’s a nice curly ball into the box and the keeper just plucks it out of the air. But when there’s pace on the ball and it doesn’t get too high, it doesn’t go too far above his eyeline, then I think it’s really difficult for the keeper to come and claim anything.”
Jacobson instead relied on the angle of his run-up to create just the right amount of curl, thus allowing him to concentrate on striking the ball as cleanly and as powerfully as possible.
“As with free kicks, I’d always stand at a right angle to where I wanted to hit the ball and where I wanted it to end up. I tried to hit over the top of the ball, a bit like topspin in tennis, and so it wouldn’t curl miles out and then curl back in.
“I’d over hit a lot and I’d under hit a lot, but when I got them right, the angle meant that I wouldn’t worry about where the ball would end up directionally. I knew that if I ran up at that right angle, the ball would end up in an area where I’d want it to end up.”
From a goalkeeper’s perspective, it’s pretty embarrassing for one of these to go in. But sometimes, when the penalty area is crowded and the taker gets the kick just right, there isn’t a huge amount you can do.
“They’re tricky because you have a lot of guys around you,” says Matt Pyzdrowski, the former goalkeeper and The Athletic’s resident expert. “The tendency for goalkeepers is to first go forward — your instinct tells you that you want to go forward to attack the ball, and get it at its highest point, so you get it before any of the attackers.
Bayindir initially moves forward… (Sky Sports)
… before trying to retreat and getting caught under the ball (Sky Sports)
“As a goalkeeper you want to resist that tendency to be a little bit more patient and I think the goal that Tottenham scored (against United), it’s very clear that the keeper bites very early. There’s a player who runs in front of him and he’s almost more concerned about the player in front of him. He takes a couple of steps forward and then realises the ball’s going over his head.
“Any time the ball goes over your head as a goalkeeper, it’s quite tough to retreat. I think it takes his attention away from the ball enough that he just misses it entirely.”
In Onana’s case, for the goal Cunha scored, the United keeper had attackers in front and behind him, making it extremely difficult for him to move anywhere. In that case, the finger of blame arguably points more at his defenders.
“Each goalkeeper is different,” says Pzydrowski, “but when I played I wanted the defender to be on the outside of the attacker so they can push the player into the goal, so it takes away that space. In this case, the defender (Manuel Ugarte) just doesn’t do a good enough job and he basically pushes the attacker into Onana.”
Onana, surrounded by Wolves players, is also beaten from a corner (Jack Thomas – WWFC/Wolves via Getty Images)
Teams train for these scenarios, but like anything, it’s difficult to recreate the unpredictability and intensity. Might these goals partly be the result of when teams practise corners? Pyzdrowski thinks it could be a factor.
“It was always the day before a game (that we would practise corners) where the intensity is lower. And any time that the intensity is lower in training, there’s just a natural tendency for the player to relax a little bit too much.”
When you watch any olimpico, the instinct is to assume that the ones that go in at the far post are intentional, and the ones that sneak in at the near post are lucky. But the truth might be exactly the opposite.
A perfect example is the game when Jacobson scored directly from two corners. The first snuck in at the near post, the second curled higher into the far.
“The second one obviously looks a lot nicer, but it was probably a bit too high for the near post, and it flew in,” he says.
“Wycombe’s assistant manager Richard Dobson, who was in charge of set pieces, always said try and whip it in the near post head high, because an attacker will get there, and if he doesn’t he’ll cause some chaos behind. It’s really difficult for a keeper to read it if there are players running across the ball.”
Pyzdrowski confirms that. “Where I always felt insecure was when I knew teams were trying to whip the ball in towards the near post,” he says. “Because you want to go forward and attack it, other players might get in the way and that’s where you’re a little bit more vulnerable.”
With more and more teams following Arsenal’s lead and whipping those vicious inswinging corners into the six-yard box, it may not be the last time this season that we see an olimpico.
And while they might look like flukes, there is often a little more to them than that.
(Photos: Getty Images; design: Will Tullos)
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We’re approaching the biggest sporting event North America has ever hosted.
The 2026 FIFA World Cup takes place across the USA, Canada and Mexico in 13 days.
Bettors and fans already have their sights set on the global spectacle, which will kick off on June 11. The World Cup final will be held at New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium on July 19, 2026.
After the World Cup groups were announced in December, Spain opened as the favorite at +450, followed by England (+550) and France (+750).
Now, with less than two weeks to go, Spain has slightly drifted to +475, with both France and England making up ground on the oddsboard.
Let’s dive into the odds via DraftKings Sportsbook as of May 29.
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2026 World Cup winner odds
Spain: +475 (bet $10 to win $57.5 total)
France: +500 (bet $10 to win $60 total)
England: +650 (bet $10 to win $75 total)
Brazil: +850 (bet $10 to win $95 total)
Argentina: +900 (bet $10 to win $100 total)
Portugal: +1000 (bet $10 to win $110 total)
Germany: +1400 (bet $10 to win $150 total)
Netherlands: +2200 (bet $10 to win $230 total)
Norway: +3500 (bet $10 to win $360 total)
Belgium: +3500 (bet $10 to win $360 total)
Colombia: +4000 (bet $10 to win $410 total)
Morocco: +5000 (bet $10 to win $510 total)
Uruguay: +5000 (bet $10 to win $510 total)
United States: +6000 (bet $10 to win $610 total)
Switzerland: +6500 (bet $10 to win $660 total)
Japan: +6500 (bet $10 to win $660 total)
Mexico: +8000 (bet $10 to win $810 total)
Croatia: +8000 (bet $10 to win $810 total)
Ecuador: +8000 (bet $10 to win $810 total)
Senegal: +9000 (bet $10 to win $910 total)
Sweden: +10000 (bet $10 to win $1,010 total)
HOST NATIONS
United States
The United States is led by Christian Pulisic, Weston McKennie, Tyler Adams, and Chris Richards, with several players competing in Europe’s top leagues. The U.S. has appeared in 11 previous World Cups, with its best finish coming in 1930 when the team reached the semifinals.
Canada
Canada’s key players include Alphonso Davies and Jonathan David, giving the squad top-tier pace and goal-scoring ability. Canada has made two previous World Cup appearances, and is still looking for its first win ever in the tournament.
Mexico
Mexico’s top contributors include Raul Giménez and Edson Álvarez, forming a strong mix of attacking talent and midfield stability. Mexico has played in 17 previous World Cups and reached the quarterfinals twice, in 1970 and 1986.
UEFA TEAMS TO KNOW
Spain
Spain’s top talents include Pedri, Lamine Yamal and Rodri, forming a core that blends elite playmaking with scoring depth. Spain has appeared in 16 previous World Cups and won the tournament once, lifting the trophy in 2010. The team also won the 2024 Euros.
France
France enters with Kylian Mbappé as the star player, with the 26-year-old just five goals shy of passing Miroslav Klose (16) for the most career goals at the World Cup. France has made 16 previous World Cup appearances and won the title twice, in 1998 and 2018.
England
England’s key players include Harry Kane, Jude Bellingham and Declan Rice, forming one of the nation’s strongest generations in decades. England has reached 16 previous World Cups and won the trophy once, in 1966.
Germany
Germany features Florian Wirtz, Jamal Musiala and Joshua Kimmich as central figures in a talented squad. Germany has participated in 20 previous World Cups and won four titles, most recently in 2014.
Portugal
Portugal’s top group includes Bruno Fernandes, Vitinha, with Cristiano Ronaldo still involved as the team’s all-time leading scorer and cap leader. Portugal has competed in eight previous World Cups and recorded its best finish in 2006, reaching the semifinals.
Netherlands
The Netherlands features top players such as Virgil van Dijk, Ryan Gravenberch and Denzel Dumfries, forming a core built around elite defending and midfield control. Memphis Depay should also be on the team, the country’s all-time leading goalscorer. The Netherlands has appeared in 11 previous World Cups and finished as runner-up three times, in 1974, 1978 and 2010.
CONMEBOL TEAMS TO KNOW
Argentina
Argentina is anchored by Lionel Messi, with Julián Álvarez, Enzo Fernández and Lautaro Martínez— headlining one of the most talented rosters in the tournament. Argentina has played in 18 previous World Cups and won three, including the most recent tournament in 2022.
Brazil
Brazil’s roster is led by Vinícius Júnior, Raphinha and Marquinhos, giving the team elite attacking and defensive quality. Brazil has appeared in every World Cup and holds a record five titles, with its most recent one coming in 2002.
Uruguay
Uruguay’s leading players include Federico Valverde, Darwin Núñez and Ronald Araújo, forming a core with elite midfield range and speed. Uruguay has appeared in 14 previous World Cups and won the tournament twice, in 1930 and 1950.
Colombia
Colombia is headlined by Luis Díaz and James Rodríguez, with the former playing for Bayern Munich and the latter having a decorated World Cup résumé. Colombia has made six previous World Cupsand recorded its best finish in 2014, reaching the quarterfinals.
CAF TEAMS TO KNOW
Morocco
Morocco’s key contributors include Achraf Hakimi, Noussair Mazaroui and Brahm Díaz, each with major European club experience. Morocco has appeared in six previous World Cups and achieved its historic best finish in 2022, reaching the semifinals.
Senegal
Senegal’s top players include Sadio Mané, Kalidou Koulibaly and Idrissa Gueye, forming one of Africa’s most experienced cores. Senegal has appeared in three World Cups and reached its best finish in 2002, advancing to the quarterfinals.
Ghana
Ghana is led by Mohammed Kudus, Antoine Semenyo and Inaki Williams, giving the squad strong playmaking and midfield presence. Ghana has competed in four previous World Cups and reached its best result in 2010, making the quarterfinals.
AFC TEAMS TO KNOW
South Korea
South Korea is headlined by Son Heung-min, supported by key players such as Kim Min-jae and Lee Kang-in. South Korea has played in 11 previous World Cups and reached its best finish in 2002, advancing to the semifinals as co-host.
Japan
Japan features Takefusa Kubo and Kaoru Mitoma as its leading players, blending top European experience with emerging talent. Japan has appeared in seven previous World Cups and reached the Round of 16 four times, its best result to date.
Australia
Australia’s top players include Jackson Irvine and keeper Mathew Ryan as its most experienced members. Australia has competed in six previous World Cups and reached the round of 16 twice, in 2006 and 2022.
OFC TEAMS TO KNOW
New Zealand
New Zealand is led by all-time leading scorer Chris Wood, with 45 international goals to his name. New Zealand has appeared in two previous World Cups (1982, 2010), and did not advance from the group stage in either appearance.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander apparently isn’t amused by a new board game that pokes fun at the Oklahoma City Thunder star’s reputation for garnering foul calls at the hint of contact by an opposing player.
Last week, a lawyer representing the two-time reigning NBA MVP sent a cease-and-desist letter to sports prediction market and fantasy sports company Underdog that includes a demand for the destruction of all copies of the cheeky and extremely limited-edition game Unethical Hoops.
Done in the style of the children’s classic Operation, Unethical Hoops requires players to use tweezers to pull objects from tiny holes, with the slightest touch of a metal border setting off a buzzer indicating failure.
Instead of pretending to be doctors attempting to remove body parts from a patient, however, Unethical Hoops players act as members of an opposing basketball team trying to take the ball from a cartoon character who very much resembles Gilgeous-Alexander.
In this game, the buzzer represents the whistle of a foul-calling referee.
“Shai has made hoops all about foul baiting and now you’re stuck guarding him in Underdog’s new board game,” a description reads on the game’s website. “Don’t get baited. Steal the ball without getting whistled.”
In a letter dated May 22, attorney Eric Fishman of ArentFox Schiff LLP demanded that Underdog “immediately and permanently cease and desist from any and all use of Mr. Gilgeous-Alexander’s NIL in any and all media, including but not limited to your website (including the Unethical Hoops Website)… and any physical goods including but not limited to the board game advertised on the Unethical Hoops Website.”
The notice also calls for Underdog to “immediately destroy all physical goods or advertisements that use Mr. Gilgeous-Alexander’s NIL, including but not limited to the board game advertised on the Unethical Hoops Website,” as well as a promise never to use the star player’s name, image or likeness without his permission.
Fishman did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Times.
According to the Unethical Hoops website, which remains active more than a week after the date on the cease-and-desist order, only 100 copies of the game were made, to be given away to Underdog users. The giveaway ended as scheduled on Friday.
Underdog declined to comment on the matter other than to point out that the company has pulled comical stunts at the expense of members of the sports world.
“We’ve poked fun at Knicks and Lakers fans, the Red Sox owners, the Mets and more,” a spokesperson said via email. “We like to have some fun with whatever is in the sports fan zeitgeist.”
Gilgeous-Alexander is a four-time All-Star who led the league in scoring last season (2,484 points) and was second in scoring this season (2,117). He led the Thunder to their first NBA title last year and has them back in the Western Conference finals this year (the decisive Game 7 against the San Antonio Spurs is Saturday in Oklahoma City).
While one of the NBA’s biggest stars, Gilgeous-Alexander is often criticized for the number of favorable foul calls he receives — he has ranked second or third in the league for number of free throw attempts per game in each of the last four seasons and is currently second among all players in the 2026 playoffs with 9.8 a game — and the lengths he appears to go to in order to receive them.
After Game 2 against the Spurs, one NBA fan account on X wrote, “Shai flopped on every single shot attempt” and posted a video that showed seven such examples (Gilgeous-Alexander actually attempted 24 shots that night). The post has been viewed 22.7 million times.
Earlier this week, prior to Game 6 of the conference finals, another fan account on X posted a video “ranking all 44 times SGA fell on the floor while shooting during the 2026 playoffs from least to most egregious.” That post has been viewed 1.3 million times.
As the cartoon likeness of Gilgeous-Alexander states in the Unethical Hoops ad, “so much as breathe on me, I’m getting the call.”
The real-life SGA was asked during a TV interview after Game 3 in San Antonio about the “flopper!” chants that rained down on him at Frost Bank Center.
“It’s part of the game,” he said. “It’s nothing. I’ve been dealing with it for a long time. I don’t really hear it. I’m focused on what’s going on on the court.”
Sports
Spurs blow out Thunder, force Game 7 as Victor Wembanyama leads the way with 28-point double-double
Trump says he thinks he’ll attend NBA Finals game
President Donald Trump said during a Cabinet meeting on Wednesday that he believes he will attend an NBA Finals game next week, as the New York Knicks make their first Finals appearance in nearly 30 years.
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The Western Conference Finals will come down to a Game 7 after the San Antonio Spurs routed the Oklahoma City Thunder, 118-91, in Game 6 on Thursday night.
Game 7 heads back to Oklahoma City, where the winner will face the New York Knicks in the NBA Finals after New York swept the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference Finals.
With their backs against the wall, the Spurs did what was necessary on their home court and then some. And it was their phenom, Victor Wembanyama, leading the way.
Victor Wembanyama of the San Antonio Spurs reacts during the first half against the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game Six of the NBA Western Conference Finals at Frost Bank Center in San Antonio, Texas, on May 28, 2026. (Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
The 7-foot-4 big man led the Spurs with 28 points on 10-of-21 shooting, including four three-pointers made, while notching a double-double with 10 rebounds, two assists, two steals and three blocks.
This was the performance head coach Mitch Johnson and the rest of the team needed from Wembanyama, and he was up for the challenge as the Thunder were looking to make it back-to-back NBA Finals appearances.
Instead, the Thunder’s three-point shooting woes returned in San Antonio, much like they did in Game 4 of this series. They took a whopping 40 threes, but only cashed in 10 of them, finishing 25% from beyond the arc on the night.
SPURS SNAP THUNDER’S PLAYOFF WIN STREAK BEHIND VICTORY WEMBANYAMA’S INCREDIBLE GAME 1 PERFORMANCE
As a team, the Thunder shot just 37%, and MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is among the culprits for the poor shooting night. He had just 15 points, going 6-of-18 from the field and 0-of-5 from three-point land. Lu Dort was also ice cold from three, going just 1-of-9 and 2-of-11 for the game.
Meanwhile, San Antonio was getting more than just “Wemby” contributions, especially from rookie Dylan Harper, who played a vital role in the blowout off the bench.
Dylan Harper of the San Antonio Spurs looks on during the first quarter against the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 6 of the NBA Western Conference Finals at Frost Bank Center in San Antonio, Texas, on May 28, 2026. (Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
Harper was quite efficient when he had the ball in his hands, going 6-of-9 from the field for 18 points, while tallying six rebounds and four assists in his pivotal 22 minutes off the pine.
And in the starting five, Stephon Castle was getting to the rim like he’s supposed to, scoring 17 points while dishing out nine assists for the Spurs. Devin Vassell also hit four of his seven three-point shots for 12 points, while Julian Champagnie poured in 10 more with six rebounds, two assists, one steal and two blocks on the other end of the hardwood.
The Spurs saw 12 different players contribute on the scoreboard in this contest, some of whom made their way into the game when the Thunder conceded and already started to focus on Game 7. And that swing came in the third quarter, when the Spurs outscored the Thunder, 32-13, and started to run away with this must-win game for their franchise.
San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama shoots against the Oklahoma City Thunder in the first half of Game 6 in the Western Conference finals NBA playoffs in San Antonio on May 28, 2026. (David J. Phillip/AP)
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Now, folks, it all comes down to the ever-suspenseful Game 7, where the Thunder will hope one last home game will give them the juice to push their way into the Finals.
But the Spurs are hoping to recreate 1999 by earning a matchup with the Knicks in the NBA Finals.
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