World Cup 2022:  headers from crosses, penalties and direct play all prove profitable in week one

Game | Skills| 25.11.2022

World Cup 2022:  headers from crosses, penalties and direct play all prove profitable in week one of tournament Image: Getty Images / Stu Forster/ Getty Images Sport

Learning:

-    Headers from crosses prove profitable in first week of FIFA World Cup 2022

-       Mbappe shows that mastery of body is just as important as mastery of ball

-       Penalties play a crucial role in over half of games at FIFA World Cup

1.     Headers from crosses prove profitable in first week of FIFA World Cup 2022

Headers from crosses into the penalty area have been one of the most profitable sources of goals in the first week of FIFA World Cup 2022.  Seven of the 41 goals scored so far (correct after game sixteen on 24/11) have resulted from headers inside the box. Penalties are the other major source of goals in the competition so far (also 7 goals).

In France’s impressive 4-1 Group D victory over Australia, three of Didier Deschamps’s side’s goals were a result of headers from crosses. Notably, the three headers came from different crossing locations and different types of delivery.