3 working Tricks to score from corners
There are two kinds of teams in football. The first variety is of the team that sees corners as a goalscoring opportunity like Real Madrid and then comes the other team who knows that it’s more difficult to score from a corner. We all want to be among the first category as we know the power of corners and we won’t want to miss any chance during the game.
No matter at what level you play crossing from corners will always benefit you and your team. It’s not much difficult to form a corner strategy and practise them till you perfect it.
The crucial thing that we need to know here is that there are certain traits required to take a good corner kick. In professional football, you will mostly see midfielders or wingers take corner kicks as they possess these abilities. There is a reason why Pirlo is among the best corner kick takers and Maguire isn’t.
In order to take a perfect corner you first need to have at least 3 traits:
Crossing Accuracy – Free Kick Accuracy – Excellent Vision
A player who can take a good corner can also take an excellent free kick as both of them demands similar abilities. The player who has a good amount of shot power with accurate crossing should be selected as the corner taker. A team can have two different players to take the corner depending upon the wing and preferred foot of the player.
The tricks that are mentioned below are used in real life by our team and can also be used in FIFA or PES.
3 Tricks for scoring from corners:
1: Penalty!
Yes! You read that right. To make this move happen, you will need to form a strategy which will include 2 two players as the primary part of the strategy while 3-4 players as the supporting players inside the box.
Just before taking the penalty, Player A would be required to make an indication that they want to use this strategy now. Once the team knows about it the best dribbler on the team along with the best ball control will run towards the corner flag making it look like a short corner. It is common for the opposing team to send in a player to mark this guy but at that moment one more player (Player C) in our team will be behind that player in his blind spot.
By now the opposing team has understood that this is a short corner and would be looking for two possibilities:
1: A cross from either of these players
2: A run-up and pass to a different player for scoring
The corner taker should continue with a pass to Player B(best dribbler) who came first. Now your team will have three players near the corner flag and 4-5 players inside the box. The dribbler then starts moving into the box slowly and carefully using his great ball control. While he is moving forward there will be an opposing defender right in front of him. He has two options either to pass it to Player C and get a return pass from him or try to dribble past the defender using his skills.
Player B can also take advantage of the goal-line and dribble very close to it just like Karim Benzema did against Atletico Madrid. Once you are past the first defender then 50% of this strategy is complete.
Now the players who are already inside the box need to act as if they are still waiting for a corner. It is simple to predict if a player is waiting for a cross or a pass to score the goal. If the team manages to pull this off correctly then it will eventually let the other team think that the player will go for the goal alone. Yes! We will use reverse psychology on the opponents so that they fall into the trap.
Once you see defenders closing in on your Player B then he needs to carefully make a run towards the goal keeping the ball in close vicinity. The climax of the trick is to use the long and huge legs of the defenders to get your team a penalty. The player needs to move forward towards the goal and make shooting actions like doing a fake shot or extra stepovers while maintaining a forward motion.
Everything entirely depends upon this one player. It should be someone who knows how to play with defenders and is not afraid to get hurt in the process. I would not recommend using this trick in every corner that you get otherwise it will be very predictable for the opposing team. If you use this trick efficiently there is an 80% of chance getting a penalty and a 30% to score a goal without the penalty.
Step-by-Step:
Step 1: The corner taker (Player A) makes the indication before taking the corner so that the team knows that this move is in action
Step 2: Player B runs to Player A for a short pass, and Player C makes his way toward the corner
Step 3: Player B uses the goal line or Player C to get inside the box
Step 4: Player B dribbles past defenders thereby facing a challenge by the opposing defender and eventually getting a penalty.
2: Pass n Goal
Executing this trick on the pitch would be pretty difficult as you will need good players to do it. If you are a Manchester United fan and follow the Champions League you will surely remember the iconic goal scored by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in the Champions League final against FC Bayern that lead them to win the final.
In this trick, we will create a similar strategy for our team. There are certain areas inside the box that are especially marked by defenders as these areas are known for scoring goals from corners. But inside the box, there are other areas that are not that difficult to pass. We will place Player B inside the marked area on the field. It would be preferred to have your tall players ahead of Player B to create a diversion and make it look like a traditional corner. We do know that the short players are not looked at as a direct threat when it comes to corners.
Using this theory we will plant a player who is also good at taking shots from inside the box. Player C will not show himself as a threat to the opposing defenders and will try to hide between the crowd of other players on the pitch.
When the corner is taken the other team players will make it look like they are going in to take a header for the goal but instead, the ball will be directed to Player B. Player B will then head the ball towards Player C who will make a run before Player B makes a header. There is no chance for him to be offside as he will be among other players inside the box.
Player C will be much ahead of other defenders as he took his run even before Player B made contact with the ball. If the ball lands in his direction at that moment Player C will just have to take his shot. It should be noted that this shot should contain a good amount of power so that everything happens too fast for the opposing team.
Step-by-Step:
Step 1: The corner taker makes the indication before taking the corner so that the team knows that this move is in action
Step 2: Player A will take the corner in the marked area to Player B
Step 3: Player C will either make a run or simply take his shot
Step 4: All other players will wait for a rebound to strike again or retain the ball
It is not easy to execute this trick on the field and you need to practise this strategy during the training sessions so that the players are aware of their roles and responsibilities.
3: The Classic Volley
In the past, we have seen great players scoring astonishing volleys from corners. Unfortunately, it is a difficult ability and not all players can do it on the pitch. We will use a different technique making it much easier for our player to score his shot.
Player A will be taking the corner kick, it would be advised to use a player who has more shot power. We will plant a player at the other end where he usually won’t be marked by anyone. It would be good to select a full-back at this position for two reasons they are good at crossing and the other team might think he is just there to run back into his half in case of a counterattack. Player B won’t make himself look like a threat and he needs to be unmarked to pull off this trick.
Player A takes a powerful corner kick where the ball will miss the box and go to Player B who is waiting for the ball. At this moment Player B will make it look like he is ready to cross into the players inside the box. The teammates inside the box will keep their marking defenders intact as they are required to be distracted.
Right before Player B gets the ball Player C will make his move near the box and try to stay unmarked. In a second or two after receiving the ball Player B will make a low or high cross depending upon the situation, this cross will be directed in the direction of Player C.
In this position, Player C will have a very short time to decide if he would take his shot on the volley or control the ball first and take a more accurate shot. The player will need to make this decision while the ball is in the air as there won’t be much time left to think once he gets the ball. The opposing defenders will naturally understand that this player is going to shoot and will try to stop the shot.
It all comes down the Player C and how good he is at taking shots. If Player C takes his shot early then he will have the better of the defenders and score a wonderful goal. Or he can control it and score a precise shot in either of the top bins he prefers.
Step-by-Step:
Step 1: The corner taker (Player A) makes the indication before taking the corner so that the team knows that this move is in action.
Step 2: Player A volleys a powerful shot to the other side of the field to Player B.
Step 3: Taking advantage of the unmarked position Player B will take his time to locate Player C and get an accurate pass.
Step 4: As soon as Player B gets the ball Player C will be in a ready position and move towards the box.
Step 5: Player B crosses or passes the ball to Player C and he will take his shot towards the goal by either a volley or control the ball first before taking the shot.
The team can use any of these 3 tricks while taking a corner and convert this into a goalscoring opportunity. Our team personally uses all these techniques frequently and we always get good results in the end. The key is to use it at the perfect moment and execute it to perfection.
Let me know if you have any ideas about your own tricks or if there can be a better version of my tricks.
