Bicycle kicks continue to be an effective attacking weapon

Goals scored from bicycle kicks are one of the most thrilling aspects of beach soccer, and highly-decorated Switzerland forward Dejan Stankovic knows all about this spectacular technique. 

A total of 37 goals were scored from bicycle kicks during the tournament, accounting for 17% of all goals scored. Iran scored the most with nine, followed by Tahiti with six and Japan with five. Three of Japan’s five bicycle kick goals were scored by Takaaki Oba, an individual total matched only by Iran’s Reza Amiri.

The bicycle kick is a protected skill in beach soccer, and executing it effectively requires outstanding technique and athleticism. For more information on this art form, take a look at this article we published during the tournament, which features expert analysis from Stankovic himself.

Much as fans love seeing goals scored from bicycle kicks, defenders like Matteo Marrucci relish the challenge of stopping them. As if dealing with the sheer technical ability of the game’s elite forwards were not difficult enough, attacking bicycle kicks are also a protected skill, which limits how close defenders can get and forces them to get creative to stop shots from reaching their targets.

Defenders attempted to block 244 bicycle kicks during the tournament, with an overall success rate of 50%. Interestingly, all four semi-finalists performed well above the tournament average in this respect.  Runners-up Italy ranked first for both attempted blocks (40) and successful blocks (16), with eventual winners Brazil second. The World Champions registered a total of 36 attempted blocks, of which 13 were successful. 

As Matteo Marucci explained in this article published during the tournament, the bicycle kick block is an increasingly important skill, and getting it right requires specialist training and practice.