Set-Piece Goals at CHAN 2024: Patterns, Problems, and Precision
In tournaments where margins are razor-thin and open-play opportunities can be limited, set pieces often become the great equalizer. That reality is playing out vividly in the ongoing 2024 African Nations Championship (CHAN),a testament to their growing tactical importance in African football.
From penalties and pinpoint free kicks to meticulously rehearsed corner routines, CHAN 2024 has been a tactical theatre for both creativity and defensive vulnerabilities. Let’s take a deep dive into the patterns, key moments, standout performances, and cautionary tales surrounding set pieces in the tournament.
Breaking Down the Numbers
A total of 25 goals from set pieces (out of the 74) have been scored so far, painting a fascinating tactical subplot to the tournament. Here's a breakdown of how they’ve come:
🟢 11 Penalties
🟢 7 Free kicks
🟢 4 Corners
🟢 3 Throw-Ins
Set pieces continue to prove decisive, with Uganda, 4(excluding the rebounded penalty which Allan Okello scored), DR Congo and Burkina Faso(each scoring 3 goals from dead ball situations) leading the pack.
However, DRC’s and Burkina Faso’s overall lack of defensive stability meant this advantage wasn't enough to carry them past the group stages.
⚠️ The Other Side of the Coin: Angola’s Defensive Frailty
No team has struggled more with defending set pieces than Angola.
📉 5 of the 6 goals they conceded came from dead balls.
This includes 2 free kicks, with Angola showing repeated breakdowns in marking and spatial awareness inside the box.
Central African Republic (4) and Burkina Faso (3) also rank high in dead ball goals conceded.
🎯 Set Piece Showcase:
Burkina Faso 4-2 CAR
The most set-piece-heavy match? The Burkina Faso 4-2 Central African Republic thriller:
⚽ 2 penalties + 1 corner scored by Burkina Faso
⚽ 1 beautifully-taken direct free kick by Sydney Tchibinda (CAR’s midfielder)
Tchibinda's freekick goal against Burkina Faso.
Tchibinda’s goal? An edge-of-the-box screamer into the top left corner. A mix of power, precision, and pure technique. One of the tournament's standout set-piece moments.
South Africa 3-3 Uganda
If you’re looking for another match where dead-ball moments stole the spotlight, look no further than the South Africa vs Uganda clash:
⚽ 2 penalties expertly dispatched by Uganda
⚽ 1indirect free kick and 1 cleverly-worked goal straight from a throw-in for South Africa
Particularly, the South Africa vs Uganda CHAN 2024 final-stage group match was a showcase of set-piece drama, with four out of the six goals scored coming from dead-ball situations. Uganda converted two penalties - the first confidently slotted home by Allan Okello, and the second by veteran defender Torach in stoppage time, securing Uganda's spot in the quarter-finals. South Africa, on the other hand, scored from an indirect free kick - a rebound goal initially flagged offside but later allowed - and added another from a sharp quickly-taken throw-in that caught the Ugandan defense completely off guard. The throw-in routine was something straight out of the training ground, a textbook execution!
🧠 Tactical Excellence: Algeria’s Corner vs Uganda
A well-executed set piece which relied on clarity of roles, coordinated movement, and exploitation of defensive weaknesses - the principles Algeria showcased brilliantly in their corner goal against Uganda.
With six attackers positioned in the box, Algeria assigned two players to remain static, effectively pinning Uganda's man-markers and remaining alert for second balls. One player moved to the edge of the box, subtly obstructing defensive tracking. The remaining three attackers carried out purposeful, synchronized runs: one sprinted to the front post, drawing zonal defenders and simulating a near-post delivery; another ran toward the back post as a decoy and also tasked with picking up the second ball and if cross is overhit; and the target man made a slightly delayed vertical run, capitalizing on a fortunate bounce to score. Against Uganda’s setup-two zonal markers, six man-markers, and one edge-of-box defender - Algeria’s deliberate movement patterns and positional manipulation exposed gaps and confusion, underlining the value of structure, timing, and deception in set piece strategy.
Ayoub Ghezala's Algeria headed corner vs. Uganda.
Animated diagram visualization of the above Algeria corner goal (vs. Uganda) execution strategy.
🧩 Key Patterns Emerging
From the corners and free kicks analyzed across the group stages matches in the ongoing CHAN 2024, two major attacking principles stand out:
Late, sharp runs starting from the edge of the box seconds before delivery - making it tough for defenders to track movement of the attackers.
Decoy front-post supporting runs to drag zonal markers and open space at the back post/center of the 6-yard box, where the real finish often occurs. The goalkeeper often gets pinned front-post, eventually leaving the back exposed.
🔒 Defensive Setup Worth Praising: Zambia vs Morocco
Though they conceded shortly after the recycled play, Zambia’s initial corner defense vs Morocco was textbook defending from a corner scenario:
4 zonal markers:
Front post
Two in central 6-yard box
Back post
2 players at the edge of the box
Additional man-markers covering remaining threats
Maroc's Hrimat goal vs. Zambia.
The goal came after Morocco recycled the ball outside the box - not from the initial corner - a sign of Zambia’s initial success in organizing and defending the primary delivery.
🎯 Final Take
Set pieces continue to be a game-changer at CHAN 2024.
Whether through perfectly executed routines like Algeria’s or thunderous finishes like Tchibinda’s, teams that capitalize on these moments often find the edge-while others like Angola continue to suffer from lapses in defensive structure.
With knockout stages heating up, keep an eye on the dead balls. They’re quietly deciding this tournament.