Story byWhy don’t more football teams place players on the side of the box for penalties?Michael CoxSat, February 28, 2026 at 5:16 AM UTC·8 min readWhen Arsenal Women won the inaugural Women’s Champions Cup at the Emirates last month with a 3-2 victory over South American champions Corinthians, many commented that the South American side brought something different in the stands. They brought drums, they brought melodic chants, they brought a proper party atmosphere. Their team brought something different on the pitch, too — albeit something rather subtle. AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementWhen Victoria Albuquerque stepped up to score a 96th-minute penalty and send the game into extra time, Corinthians positioned two players in unusual positions: outside the width of the box, rather “in front” of it. In truth, they didn’t seem particularly ‘active’ here. They were practically just praying the penalty would be scored.
