The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 10 letter word NUTMEGGING
I've seen this crossword clue in Independent
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More clues leading to the result NUTMEGGING
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "putting the ball between the opponent’s uprights?" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case putting the ball between the opponent’s uprights? = nutmegging.The cryptic/wordplay part
In cryptic crossword there's often an wordplay/cryptic part as well.This part involves a more complex hint, such as an anagram, homophone, hidden word, etc.
Sadly, We don't have an explanation for this specific crossword clue yet.
Crossword Answer definitions
NUTMEGGING verb- To flavour with nutmeg.
- To play the ball between the legs of (an opponent).