Ireland Scores Incredibly Rare ‘Olimpico’ Corner Kick Goal At Women’s World Cup

Soccer teams spend a ton of time practicing the art of the corner kick, as those set pieces grant any squad that earns one a prime opportunity to put the ball in the back of the goal when executed correctly.

In most cases, those teams harness a strategy that involves getting the ball into the middle of the penalty area in the hopes of connecting with a player who will be able to head (or, in some cases, kick it) into the goal.

However, it’s theoretically possible to treat a corner as a penalty kick thanks to a rule that was initially instituted in 1924 that repealed a preexisting stipulation that required someone on the pitch to touch the ball before it crossed the goal line, which made it possible to score off the initial kick.

That year, Argentina’s Cesáreo Onzari became the first person to do exactly that when he scored off a corner kick in a game against Uruguay, who had recently won the gold medal thanks to an undefeated showing at the Summer Olympics in Paris.

That connection led to the feat being dubbed an “Olimpico,” which remains one of the rarer achievements in soccer.

It took close to 90 years for someone to actually score one at the Olympics before Megan Rapinoe did exactly that against Canada in 2012.

While there aren’t many teams out there who spend a ton of time practicing in an explicit attempt to prevent an Olimpico, Canada may want to start doing exactly that when you consider they once again ended up on the wrong side of one thanks to what unfolded at the Women’s World Cup.

On Wednesday, Ireland’s Katie McCabe was tasked with taking the corner kick her squad was granted in the opening minutes of their showdown with Canada in Perth, and she took full advantage with a perfect boot that curved its way toward the goal and over the outstretched hands of goalkeeper Kailen Sheridan to give them a 1-0 lead.

It was an uncharacteristic error for  Sheridan (who is widely considered the most talented goalie at the Women’s World Cup), although she was able to post a clean sheet for the remainder of a contest that saw Canada score two unanswered goals to walk away with the 2-1 victory.

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