First Match: 2v2 with Wide Goals
A 2v2 game on a small pitch with wide cone goals and no goalkeepers, so the youngest players dribble, shoot and score a lot.
- Objectives
- Technical: Improve finishing, Win 1v1s in attack
- Tactical: Improve decision-making
- Concepts
- Technical:ShootingDribbling past an opponentRunning with the ball
- Tactical:Scanning
- Focus and load
- Technical4/5
- Tactical3/5
- Physical4/5
- Format
- Match
- Approach
- Global
- Age
- U6–U8
- Difficulty
- Beginner
- Players
- 4–12
- Duration
- 12 min
- Area
- 15 × 10 m
Training diagram
2v2 with 3 m cone goals and no goalkeepers. The coach sends in a new ball as soon as one goes out.
Legend
- Attacker
- Defender
- Neutral / support
- Pass
- Run without ball
- Dribble
- Shot
- Ball
- Cone
Objective
Play real duels to goal: dribble past an opponent, shoot as soon as the goal is in sight and defend your own goal.
Organisation
- 15 × 10 m pitch with a 3 m cone goal in the middle of each end line.
- Teams of two with bibs. With more children, set up two or three pitches side by side.
- The coach stands on the touchline with spare balls.
Equipment
- Balls × 6
- Cones × 8
- Bibs × 6
How it works
- 2v2 without goalkeepers. You can score from anywhere on the pitch.
- When the ball goes out, the coach rolls a new one in straight away to the team that did not touch it last.
- After a goal, the team that conceded starts again with a ball from its own goal.
- Games of 2–3 minutes with a short break to drink. Change opponents after each game.
Coaching points
- If you see the goal, shoot.
- If an opponent is in front of you, dribble past them: change direction or speed.
- When we lose the ball, run back towards our goal.
- Praise children who try, not only those who score.
Progressions
- 3v3 on a 20 × 12 m pitch.
- A goal scored after a pass between team-mates counts double.
Regressions
- 1v1 on a 10 × 8 m pitch.
- Wider goals (4 m).
Variations
- Four goals: each team attacks two cone goals in the corners of the opposite end.
Key principles
- Many touches and many shots.
- Attack and defend in every action.
The real game, made small enough for four- to seven-year-olds. With only two players per team every child is always close to the ball, and the wide goals without goalkeepers reward anyone who dares to shoot. There are no throw-ins: the coach rolls a new ball onto the pitch as soon as one goes out, so the ball is almost always in play. Run several pitches side by side and rotate the teams.
Use it as
- Game
Updated October 29, 2026
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