walk (up) the ball

[Kontol]

What does "walk" mean in football?

GOAL - Brentford 1-0 Everton
Ivan Toney
Ivan Toney walks up the ball and strokes it into the bottom corner. Cool as you like.

LIVERPOOL 0-0 ARSENAL
32: NO GOAL! Arsenal have the ball in the Liverpool net at the end of the slick counter which saw Smith Rowe and Aubameyang stride down the left flank, work their way around the Liverpool defence, and then square for Lacazette, who virtually walks the ball into the net, but there is a clear offside from Aubameyang in the build-up.

 

[Tarheel]

I'm not a fan, but it seems he was walking, not running. In other words, his pace was a slow one at that point.

 

[emsr2d2]

It suggests that he had so much time to score, he could just casually walk with the ball at his feet before knocking it into the net. There were no defenders for him to worry about at that point. However, it turns out that another player had been offside in the lead-up so the goal was disallowed.

 

[jutfrank]

Ivan Toney walks up to the ball ...

 

[emsr2d2]

Ivan Toney walks up to the ball ...

But that isn't the same thing. He didn't need to walk up to the ball. It was already in his possession (he was kicking it). The piece simply means that he didn't have to run with the ball (dribble). He could take a very casual approach because there were no defenders in his way.

 

[jutfrank]

I think the Toney sentence is describing a particularly casual penalty. He walks up to (approaches) the ball and strokes it home.

If the meaning were simply that he was walking with the ball, it wouldn't include 'up'.