work the ball

[Kontol]

What is the meaning of "work" in this context?

GOAL! Man Utd 2-2 Arsenal (Odegaard, 54)
What a response from Arsenal!
They work the ball to Martinelli on the right and the Brazilian cuts the ball back for Odegaard, who picks out the bottom corner with a first time finish!
Game on!

Live Commentary - Man Utd vs Arsenal | 02.12.2021

Premier League match Man Utd vs Arsenal 02.12.2021. Preview and stats followed by live commentary, video highlights and match report.

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[Skrej]

The players passed the ball from player to player until it eventually reached Martinelli. It wasn't just one long kick from player A directly to Martinelli.

They're weaving the ball through the opposing players to Martinelli.

Edit: Probably something like you see starting at about 0:22.

 

[Kontol]

So, the idea behind the use of the word "work" insteaf of "to feed" or "to pass," is that they pass the ball from player to player, in other words it's a short pass.

 

[Tdol]

It's a number of passes.