It should come as no surprise if every soccer fan has had the term brace being used when a player scores two goals in a soccer game. After all, being a soccer fan means that you make out time to watch soccer games, and also hear some of these soccer terms being used by commentators.
Meanwhile, a brace in soccer means that a player in a team has scored just two goals in a single game. If he scores more than two in the game, it is no longer a brace and may be referred to as a hat trick, or other unofficial names based on the number.
Scoring goals in the game of soccer requires some effort and not all players, even the attack-minded players are favored with the luxury of scoring one goal in a game, not to mention two.
Goals have to be scored in a game for excitement to be derived from a game of soccer. Also, one side has to outscore the other to come out tops after the blast of the referee’s whistle and garner maximum points from the game. This is the goal of every soccer team that goes into a game.
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In the process, a player from any of the sides can hit the back of the net once, twice, thrice, and sometimes more than, in the course of the game. For a player to score two goals in a game is not the priority for the team as their aim is for any player to score and ensure that they obtain maximum points at the end.
However, this scenario will boost the player’s statistics and their ratings on the goal charts and more so if they are attackers. Meanwhile, the question; What is a brace in soccer is one that is begging for answers and will be explained more in this article.
Also, my guess is that some of you are wondering why the scoring of two goals by a player is called a brace in soccer. This article will ensure that you understand everything regarding scoring a brace in soccer, why it earned the name, and also how to enhance your chances of scoring a brace.
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What Is A Brace In Soccer?
The concept of a brace in soccer is when one player scores two goals in a soccer game. A player can score one, two, three, and more than that during a single game. The likes of soccer legends in Lionel Messi, and Cristiano Ronaldo, and the likes can attest to this.
A brace in soccer is followed by a hat trick and this term is used to describe when a player scores three goals in a single game. The time when the goals are scored doesn’t matter as long as it is during a game.
A brace can only be scored in one soccer match. Scoring one goal in one match and scoring another goal in the next match is two goals but it is not a brace. In Soccer, a brace is bagged when a player scores two goals in a single match.
For instance, in a Premier League game between Manchester City and Liverpool. If Mohamed Salah scores two goals in the game, he will be reported to have scored a brace and that is how the concept works.
Fans of the Premier League in England would be very conversant with this term as it is mostly used by English commentators as pointed out earlier in this article.
The word ‘brace’ is derived from the old English language and it means a pair of things or something. It appears the term originated in the 19th century and has been in use ever since.
In soccer, instead of saying that a player scored two goals in a game, you could cut it short by saying that the player scored a brace and every soccer fan would understand what you mean.
It appears that the term is one of the most used phrases in the round leather game of soccer and especially amongst English folks.
Hat-trick is also another commonly used term but may not be as widely used as a brace considering that a player scoring a whopping three goals in a single game is not something we see often and also not a mean feat.
Why Is Scoring Two Goals In Soccer Called A Brace?
As explained in a quora discussion, “Brace, in old English, means a pair of something (bird or animal) killed in hunting. Brace has its origin in Old French. So basically, when a player scores two goals, it is related to the act of hunting, hence scoring a ‘brace’.”
Therefore, in soccer, Brace is used to refer to an event where a soccer player scores two goals in a game. It is a very popular term in the round leather game and rightfully so as there are lots of soccer games where players score two goals in a game, ranging from defenders to midfielders, and the usual culprits, the forwards.
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Do Players Receive Any Rewards For Scoring A Brace?
In soccer, players do not receive any individual reward for scoring a goal or even a brace. Officially, the only time players are given an award is when they score 3 goals in a game known as a hat-trick. In this case, the reward is simple.
The player goes home with the match ball, and we’ve seen it in many cases in the English Premier League and other soccer competitions. For the other goals, it is just a question of personal fulfillment for the team and the player in question.
Regardless, we’ve seen where a player was rewarded with a chicken for scoring a brace in a match. Nyasa Big Bullets forward Hassan Kajoke was gifted with a CHICKEN by a fan after scoring a brace in a match in Malawi.
3 Memorable Soccer Brace Moments
- The first player to score a brace in the final of the UEFA Champions League is Daniele Massaro as AC Milan thrashed Barcelona 4 nil in 1994. Not one to aim a dig, but this kind of result seems unrealistic at this present time.
- Kylian Mbappe is the youngest player to score a brace in the FIFA World Cup at 19 years and 6 months. The record was previously held by Brazil legend Pele who was 10 months older when he scored a brace in the 1958 World Cup.
- Cristiano Ronaldo is the oldest player to score a brace in Euros at 36 years and 130 days. The record was previously held by Andriy Shevchenko at 35 years. The Portuguese scored the brace in a group game against Hungary at Euro 2020.
How To Get Better At Scoring A Brace
As they say, practice makes perfect and one has to be highly prolific to score a brace in a game. Therefore, how to get better at scoring a brace requires that you have the ability to convert every half-chance and cleat-cut chance that comes your way.
It’s not easy creating these chances in a soccer game and once they come, the ability to put them away and not waste them is a plus. However, this level of effectiveness in scoring is only possible for those who train thoroughly to improve their shooting and finishing.
So imagine if the players in a team are poor finishers. If this is the case, scoring a lone goal would be a major challenge not to mention scoring a brace. Well, the player’s position on the pitch determines their likelihood of scoring a brace.
Little wonder the players who score a brace in a game are mostly attackers or forwards. A defender would be too concerned with protecting his/her backline than putting the ball in the back of the opposition net.
There are cases where they do but it is very rare. One example is former Chelsea FC defender Antonio Rudiger who scored a brace in a game for the London outfit before his move to Real Madrid materialized.
The fact that his goals were headers should come as no surprise as that is always their best bet. This is not the same for midfielders and forwards as they have the chance to make forward runs and see a scoring opportunity fall to them.
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If you are consistent with shooting practices from a particular distance or angle, you’d get better at it and when the chance presents itself during a soccer game, you could find your name on the scoresheet, and if more than once, a brace is likely.
Regardless, you should know that you may not always score when those dream chances come, there is also the factor of a very decent goalkeeper between the sticks thwarting your efforts.
In your shooting practice, the technique also matters because having a bad one means that you may find yourself miscueing your shooting chances.
The best way to get better at scoring a brace is to embrace constant and consistent shooting practice and finishing. With this, the question of how to score a brace would become a thing of the past. However, take note that it takes time.
The quality of the opposition counts, as you won’t go about scoring braces against the best teams in a competition or league. Also bear in mind that creating chances in soccer is not as easy as it seems.
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You may find out that scoring chances may not come your way in a soccer game and this is not a cause for discouragement. Keep practicing consistently and you will strike gold eventually with regards to scoring a brace and maybe against an elite soccer team.
Summary
In this article, the concept of brace has been explained in detail in a way that newbies to the sport will understand. Brace has to do with goals in a single game. It is not when a team scores two goals or when a player scores one goal in one match and another in the next.
However, a brace is when a player scores two goals in a single game. Also, a brace is mostly scored by attackers as they are the ones closest to the opposition box.
Regardless, we’ve seen cases where even a defender scores a brace in a soccer game and one example was highlighted earlier in this article. Do well to leverage the content of this article in your quest to enhance your understanding of soccer terms.
Kenneth is a an avid soccer follower, fan and writer. He is a consistent follower of the sport and is a fan of Chelsea FC.