Champions League clips & throw‑in tactic
Recent Champions League highlights focused on strong showings from Yamal, Vitinha and goalkeeper Manuel Neuer, and a Paris Saint‑Germain clip showed fullback Nuno Mendes using exceptionally long throw‑ins as a tactical weapon. (x.com) Mendes’ throw‑in footage drew about 22,000 likes and sparked discussion about throw‑ins as an attacking tool. (x.com)
A clip of Nuno Mendes launching long throw-ins for Paris Saint-Germain has become a second Champions League talking point, alongside the week’s spotlight on Lamine Yamal, Vitinha and Manuel Neuer. (uefa.com) The throw-ins came from Paris Saint-Germain’s 2-0 first-leg win over Liverpool on April 8, when Luis Enrique started Mendes at left back with Vitinha in midfield and Paris finished with 70 percent possession, 18 shots and a 2-0 lead. (uefa.com) UEFA’s match report credited Désiré Doué with the opener in the 11th minute and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia with the second in the 65th, and noted that Mendes set up Ousmane Dembélé for a clear chance early in the second half. (uefa.com) What spread after the match was not a goal but a restart: footage of Mendes taking flat, fast throw-ins from deep on the left that pushed Paris immediately into Liverpool’s half. A separate clip of those sequences circulated on social media and drew discussion about whether elite teams are treating throw-ins more like set pieces again. (x.com) That discussion fits a broader tactical trend. Opta Analyst reported in August 2025 that 11 of 20 Premier League teams used at least one long throw into the box on opening weekend, describing it as part of a wider move back toward direct play and set-piece pragmatism. (theanalyst.com) The old stigma around long throws has also faded. Opta Analyst wrote that Arsenal under Mikel Arteta and Brentford under Thomas Frank have treated them as part of their attacking weaponry, rather than as a last resort for less technical teams. (theanalyst.com) Mendes is not a specialist thrower by reputation, but he has the profile to make the tactic useful. UEFA lists the 23-year-old Portugal defender at 12 Champions League appearances this season, with 2 goals, 72 balls recovered and a top speed of 35.54 kilometers per hour. (uefa.com) Vitinha’s presence in the same side helps explain why Paris can mix patient possession with direct restarts. UEFA lists the 26-year-old midfielder at 13 Champions League appearances, 6 goals and 94.54 percent passing accuracy this season. (uefa.com) The other clips traveling this week came from the quarter-final first legs on April 7 and April 8. UEFA highlighted Neuer’s nine saves in Bayern Munich’s 2-1 win at Real Madrid and Yamal’s bright start for Barcelona before Pau Cubarsí’s red card turned a 2-0 home loss to Atlético Madrid. (uefa.com) UEFA’s own video hub grouped those moments together in its quarter-final packages, with separate reels for goals, saves and match highlights from Paris, Madrid, Lisbon and Barcelona. (uefa.tv) The second legs begin on April 14 with Liverpool hosting Paris Saint-Germain and Atlético Madrid hosting Barcelona, and the throw-in clip has already given one small preview of what coaches now hunt for in knockout ties: any restart that can become an attack. (uefa.com)
