why does a player lay down behind the wall

It’s a defensive tactic in soccer: a player lies behind the wall to stop a free kick from going low and sneaking under the jumping defenders.

Why it happens

When a free kick is close to goal, defenders form a wall and usually jump to block the shot. That creates a small gap near the ground, which clever takers can exploit by driving the ball underneath the wall.

What the player is doing

The player on the ground acts like a low-blocker. Their job is to cover the space the wall can miss, especially against “under-the-wall” free kicks.

Why teams use it

• It reduces the chance of a low shot scoring under the wall.

• It forces the kicker to choose a different placement, instead of exploiting the gap created when defenders jump.

• The tactic became more common as free-kick specialists got better at scoring from tricky angles and distances.

Simple example

If a free-kick taker is known for curling the ball over the wall, the defenders may jump. But if the taker instead shoots low, the lying-down player is there to block it.

TL;DR: a player lies behind the wall to cover the low gap and prevent a free kick from rolling under the defenders.