How to Score Goals in FIFA

EA Sports transformed scoring in FIFA 14 with the all-new Pure Shot and Real Ball Physics that make shooting the ball more realistic and satisfying.  The ball can dip, dive, curve, rise and misfire depending how you strike it, either alone with a free shot on goal, or with a defender pulling on your jersey. 

First thing you must learn is how hard to hit the ball to have your shot stay on target.  Similar to previous FIFAs, there is a power meter for shots.  Tap the shoot button (B/Circle) and the ball will roll towards the goalie. Hold it down too long and you might end up hitting someone in the face on the second tier balcony.  The power meter is on a hair trigger as well, so practice makes perfect.  Mastering the force put on the ball is key to getting good scoring chances. 

You use the left stick to aim your shot while powering up to take the kick.  As soon as you start powering up your shot, use the left stick to aim high or low, and what corner you want the ball to go towards.  Hopefully it beats the keeper, but not the net. 

Two words: finesse shot

Say it out loud and remember it. This is an amazing shot to use to put points on the board.  If you ever wanted to bend it like Beckham, this is how it’s done. To take a finesse shot, hold down RB/R1 while powering up the shot. You have to aim where you want the ball to go with this shot, just like normal, but this will give you a good curve that helps squeeze the ball into the net, just out of the keeper’s reach. 

The only downside is that you’ll sacrifice power for superior placement. With this in mind, get a good feel for how hard you hit a finesse kick compared to a normal kick on the power meter. 

Another strike you should add to your kicking repertoire is the lob shot. The lob shot is the proverbial sand wedge of soccer.  This propels the ball into the air like a chip shot. To perform a lob shot, press and hold the LB/L1 button while powering up your kick. This is a great shot to use if the goalie is off his line attacking you, or if there is only one defender in the way. There is no better feeling than chipping the ball over a goalie’s head and have it float into the net. 

Finally, we have the one time shot. A well-performed one timer forces the defense to realign, but also looks awesome and gives you plenty of ammunition to trash talk your opponent. To pull off a one timer, all you have to do is press the kick button the moment the ball reaches your feet, be it from a ground or aerial pass. If your player’s stats are high enough, hold down LT/L2 while kicking and you might pull off a scissor kick for this shot.

Skill Moves

This is what it is all about. There is nothing better than doing a few step overs right before rainbow kicking the ball over your own head and then kicking a volley out of the air into the upper 90 of the goal. Skill moves help put your own style onto the pitch and play how you want.   

The right thumb stick is the Skill Stick, unlike previous versions of the game where you held down LT/L2 and worked the right thumb stick. This year, EA Sports took a page from its FIFA Street franchise and did away with having to hold down LT/L2. To do moves in FIFA 14, all you have to do is move the right thumb stick. Naturally, the moves you perform depend on your ball handling and dribbling skills. The more you beat defenders and pull off moves, the higher you level up, opening doors to new moves and skills. This is one of the hardest things to master in the game, but if you get it down right, you can play like the soccer version of the Harlem globetrotters.