Clever ploy that destroyed Croatia.. Will Portugal use the same weapon against Spain?

Soccer lesson

In a tactical analysis, John Dal Thomasson, an expert from the Technical Studies Group of the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA), revealed how to use… The Portuguese team passes from the side to hurt the Croatian counterpart Through sets and open play.

Thomasson explained. On the official FIFA websiteFrom dangerous angles and threatening moves inside the penalty area, to Rafael Leao’s crucial assist for the winning goal, the same pattern was repeated over and over again; Portugal relaxed the tempo of the game, created numerical growth, moved the game quickly, attacked the goal square very quickly.

This tactic was repeated in different situations, but with the same threat of sending high-quality curveballs into the dangerous center and far post area.

In corner kicks, Portugal managed to score 4 out of 9 corners against Croatia, as all 6 corners taken directly inside the penalty area were deflected in.

Thomasson emphasized that Portugal’s corner kicks in the penalty area were of an exceptionally high standard, with players like Nuno Mendes able to find predetermined goals quickly and accurately.

Conversely, several Portuguese players successfully blocked opposing players defending in the zone in the second box, allowing their Portuguese teammates to make late runs to the far post, often the primary target of their corners.

As for the curved crosses in the open game, the Portuguese team fired 15 crosses, 14 of them from the side pipes, 7 from the right front, 7 from the left front.

Two of these 15 passes were successful, one of which led to Gonzalo Ramos’ extra-time winner.

However, in open play, some of those incomplete crosses were also a threat, as shown In videos.

Thomason revealed that this high number was the result of an organized and deliberate construction strategy; In the build-up, Portugal’s midfielders dropped back to the two centre-backs, creating pressure on Croatia’s forward line, while the forwards and wingers switched roles in the flank channel and threatened the backline, deliberately drawing Croatia to the flanks.

As the opposition moved to one side, Portugal quickly moved the game to the other side, where they outnumbered their opponents and had time to send in accurate, curling crosses.

Tomorrow, Monday, the Portuguese national team will meet Spain in the 1/8 finals of the 2026 World Cup.

Source link