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Football (Soccer) vocabulary · Formations & Tactics

Offside trap

Meaning in football (soccer), with examples

nounCommon term

In football (soccer), offside trap means: A defensive tactic in which defenders step up together just before a pass is played, leaving attackers in an offside position.

In Turkish: ofsayt taktiği, ofsayt tuzağı

How it is used

Teams play or spring the offside trap, and an attacker beats it with a well-timed run. It needs good communication: if one defender fails to step up, the trap is broken and the striker is through on goal.

Example sentences

  1. Their striker kept getting caught in our offside trap.

  2. He timed his run perfectly to beat the offside trap.

Common collocations

  • play the offside trap
  • beat the offside trap
  • spring the offside trap
  • caught in the offside trap
  • offsideDescribes an attacker who, in the opponents' half, is nearer their goal line than both the ball and the second-last opponent when a teammate plays the ball, and then takes part in play.
  • high lineA defensive set-up in which the back line stays far up the pitch, keeping the team compact and catching attackers offside, but leaving space behind.
  • through ballA forward pass played between or behind defenders into space, so that a teammate can run onto it and go through on goal.
  • assistant refereeOne of the two officials who run along the touchlines with a flag, signalling offside, throw-ins, goal kicks and fouls the referee may have missed.

More terms: Formations & Tactics

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