FIFA 18 is a game all about margins.
Losing a game in the 90th minute but fouled on the edge of the box? If you don’t know your way around a free kick you’re losing the game… but if you do, you might be able to score a dramatic goal and grab yourself a point, or force extra time.
But how does one take free-kicks on FIFA? Wonder no more, as Goal takes a look at the set-piece mechanics. There’s a fair few ways of taking a free-kick on the game, and you don’t just need to get it up and over the wall!
Curling the ball around the wall is relatively easy if you’ve got players with high curve – such as Christian Eriksen or Kevin De Bruyne – and you just need to aim slightly past each post, and then flick the left stick back towards the goal. Two bars of power should do it!
You can also dip the free-kick but this is riskier; aim at the wall and hold the left stick up with between one and two bars of power.
If you’re trying to drive the ball under the wall, aim at a spot between an unsuspecting defender’s legs, and hold L1/LB and shoot, with one bar of power, while pushing the left stick upwards.
Trivela free-kicks are the flashiest of the flash, as it’ll see a player use the outside of their boot to try to curl the ball home. You’ll need a player with high free-kick accuracy, and aim for just outside the post. Move your run up, using the right stick, so that your player is in line with the ball as well as the near post. Shoot with roughly two power bars, and point the left stick around 45 degrees and upwards. You’ll need a right footed player if you’re taking it from the left-hand side, and a left footed player from the right. Follow the same steps and hold L1/LB for a power variation of the free-kick.
A knuckleball free-kick is also a possibility, but you’ll need some power! Aim for the far side of the goal with the left stick, and hold L1/LB with three bars of power on your shot. Hopefully, it’ll fly in, making Cristiano Ronaldo proud.
You can also dummy the shot, if you fancy it, by calling a second player with either L2 or LB. Fake a shot, with X and A or circle and X. Aim at the second player, and send a through ball towards them with Y or triangle. If it works, you’ll leave the defence dumbfounded.
It cannot be stressed enough, however, that practice makes perfect, and utilising skill games is vital. Doing that could mean the difference between a win and a loss.
Good luck!