Conference League Next Level Teamwork: AEK Athens and Mainz's inswinging crosses and blindside runs

UEFA Technical Observers Dušan Fitzel and Rui Faria give an in-depth look at Sota Kawasaki's opening goal at Lech Poznań and Dereck Kutesa's added-time equaliser against Universitatea Craiova in the UEFA Conference League.

Both goals shared the use of controlled possession and rapid switches of play to unbalance organised defensive blocks, followed by inswinging crosses to the far post that exploited blindside runs into the space behind the defensive line.

Goal 1: Matchday 5 – Sota Kawasaki (Lech Poznań vs MAINZ)

Dušan Fitzel on Sota Kawasaki's goal:

"This is a brilliant example of team cooperation in possession involving many players, mostly defenders moving the ball from side to side. This was key to surprise the opponents when they switched fast with a diagonal pass from left to right: crucially, the attacking team kept width on both sides.

"With such a rapid switch, the opponents also needed to shift quickly and, in this movement, lost for a moment the visibility of close opponents. There was then a chance for strikers to find free space and receive the ball. This is exactly what happened: after the diagonal pass to the right wing, there was quick movement inside and an inswinging cross to the far post."

"At the moment of the cross, there was a 2v1 situation with a last defender, a striker in front of him and another behind him – the defender decided to focus on the danger in front of him and, in this moment, opened space behind for the scorer. Even though the defenders had a numerical advantage in the penalty area (7v6), at the far post the strikers were 2v1.

"With this goal happening four minutes into additional time, the defensive team were very deep in their own half and defended without aggression. Even when defending deep, they were not able to defend in a proper way."

Rui Faria on Sota Kawasaki's goal:

"The inswinging cross to the far post, away from the goalkeeper's control, shows clear exploration of the spaces behind the defensive line. Everyone is focused on protecting the spaces in front of them and, as a result, the ball arrives into the space behind the line, perfectly timed with the player's arrival."

Goal 2: Matchday 6 – Dereck Kutesa: (AEK ATHENS vs Universitatea Craiova) 

Dušan Fitzel on Dereck Kutesa's goal:

"In the final third, this was a very similar goal. They used transition to attack through the middle and, near the penalty area, used width and the winger's individual action. The winger moved inside and delivered a final cross behind the defensive line and near the far post.

"There was the same situation (6v7) as the Mainz goal, but the difference was that most of the strikers were covered by defenders. There was only a late reaction of the left winger, who was supposed to cover the opposition's right-back, who scored. As a coach, you always ask your players to react quickly when they lose the ball, and in this moment that reaction was missing."

"This goal, like the Mainz one above, was the result of a great inswinging cross into the space near the far post and behind the defensive line, where it is not easy for defenders to see an opponent running from outside into the penalty area. This shows one of the options to beat an organised defence, even when the striker is covered: by using this blind space."

Rui Faria on Dereck Kutesa's goal:

"Ball possession was moved from one side to the other against a low block, using a long pass to switch sides and explore the defensive block shifting. This was followed by an inswinging cross to the far post, opposite to the movement of the block and outside the goalkeeper's aerial control.

"At the same time, there was movement in depth to explore the spaces at the back of the defensive line."