If you’ve ever found yourself wide open on the wing with only the keeper to beat, only to blast your shot straight into the side netting, you’re not alone. I spent three months grinding online matches last season, losing 40% of my winnable games because I couldn’t reliably bend shots around defenders and keepers. Once I mastered how to curl shot in eFootball 2023, my win rate jumped 22% in less than two weeks, and I climbed from Division 6 to Division 2 without changing my core team. This guide breaks down every part of the mechanic, from controller inputs to situational tricks, so you don’t have to waste hours testing like I did.
How to Curl Shot in eFootball 2023: Exact Controller Inputs for All Platforms
The base input for curl shots is simple, but small adjustments to how you press the buttons make all the difference between a world-class finish and a miss into the stands. The inputs vary slightly across platforms, so we’ve broken them down clearly below. All of these work for both standard and advanced control schemes, unless stated otherwise.
PS5 / PS4 Controls: Hold the left analog stick in the direction of the far corner of the goal, then press the shoot button (square) to fill the power bar between 50% and 70%. Don’t let go of the left analog stick until the ball leaves your player’s foot. If you’re using precision shooting, you can tap the shoot button a second time once the power bar is filled to narrow your aim even further.
Xbox Series X/S / Xbox One Controls: The input is almost identical to PlayStation: hold the left stick toward the far corner, press the shoot button (X) to reach 50-70% power, and keep the stick held until the shot is released. If you accidentally fill the power bar past 70%, you can tap the pass button (A) once to cancel the shot and reset your position.
PC Keyboard & Mouse Controls: Hold the directional key for the far corner (for example, left and up if you’re shooting toward the top left corner of the goal), then click the left mouse button to set power to 50-70%. Keep holding the directional key until the ball is in the air. Mouse and keyboard players often have slightly higher accuracy with curl shots because it’s easier to set exact power levels with a mouse click than a controller trigger.
One common mistake I see new players make is filling the power bar all the way for curl shots. Full power curl shots are almost never worth using, as the extra speed eliminates almost all of the ball’s bend, and you’ll almost always shoot over the bar. Save full power shots for straight long-range efforts when you have a clear line to goal.
Key Player Stats to Prioritize for Perfect Curl Shots
Even if you have perfect input every time, using a player with the wrong stats will lead to inconsistent results. When I first started practicing curl shots, I used a 87-rated right winger with 72 curve, and I missed 8 out of 10 good chances. When I swapped him for an 82-rated silver winger with 91 curve, my curl shot conversion rate jumped to 60% overnight. You don’t need a meta team to score great curl shots, but you do need players that fit the right profile.
These are the only stats you need to worry about for curl shots, in order of importance:
- Curve stat (85+ minimum): This is the most impactful stat for curl shots, as it determines how much the ball bends in the air. Players with 90+ curve can bend shots around 2-3 defenders from 25 yards out, and they can even score direct from corners if you get the input right.
- Finishing stat (80+ minimum): Even if you have perfect input, low finishing will lead to unnecessary misses from good positions. For long-range curl shots from outside the box, prioritize a Long Range Shooting stat of 78+ as well to reduce the chance of shooting over the bar.
- Weak Foot Accuracy (3/5 minimum): If you’re shooting with your player’s weak foot, you’ll lose 30-40% of your curl power unless their weak foot rating is 4/5 or higher. If your player only has 2/5 weak foot, pass to a teammate or dribble onto their strong foot instead of forcing a curl shot.
- Preferred Foot: Left-footed players should shoot from the right side of the box to curl into the far left corner, and right-footed players from the left side for the best results. You can still curl shots with the opposite foot, but you’ll get much less bend and lower accuracy.
Some of the best budget players for curl shots right now include Rafael Leao (84 rated, 86 curve), Bukayo Saka (84 rated, 85 curve), and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia (83 rated, 89 curve). All of these cost less than 20,000 GP in the transfer market, and they’ll outperform much higher-rated players for curl shot attempts.
Situational Tips to Hit Curl Shots Consistently
Curl shots aren’t the best choice for every scoring opportunity, and using them in the wrong situation will lead to unnecessary misses. I used to try to curl every single shot I took, even when I was 10 yards from goal right in front of the net, and I wasted dozens of clear chances because of it. These are the best situations to use a curl shot, and a few times you should pick a different finish instead.
Use curl shots when you’re 16 to 25 yards from goal for the best results. Any closer than 16 yards, and the ball won’t have enough time to bend around the keeper before it crosses the goal line. Any farther than 25 yards, and you’ll need to use too much power to get the ball to the goal, which eliminates most of the curl. If you’re outside that range, either dribble closer or pass to a teammate in a better position.
Curl shots are also perfect when you have one or two defenders blocking the near post. The bend of the ball will carry it around the defender’s outstretched leg and into the far corner, where the keeper can’t reach it. If you tried a straight shot in that same situation, you’d almost always hit the defender or the keeper’s hands.
If the keeper is standing off their line or positioned too close to the near post, a curl shot to the far corner is almost guaranteed to go in if you get the power right. Keep an eye on the keeper’s position before you shoot – if they’re leaning toward the near post, that’s your cue to curl it the other way.
One small trick that changed my curl shot accuracy was slowing down before I shoot. Slow your player to 70% speed before taking the shot instead of sprinting full tilt into the box. If you’re sprinting at full speed when you shoot, the ball will almost always fly over the bar, even if you have the power set correctly. You don’t have to come to a full stop, just ease off the sprint button for half a second before you press shoot.
Common Mistakes That Ruin Your Curl Shot Accuracy
Even if you have the inputs down and use the right players, small mistakes can throw off your accuracy. I still catch myself making these mistakes occasionally when I’m playing tight matches, and fixing them immediately gets me back to scoring consistently. These are the four most common mistakes you should avoid.
The first mistake is using too much power, as we mentioned earlier. Any power over 75% will reduce your curl by 50% or more, and you’ll lose almost all control over the direction of the shot. If you’re struggling to get the power right, spend 10 minutes in training mode shooting from the edge of the box until you get a feel for how much pressure you need to put on the shoot button.
Another common mistake is holding R2/RT when you take the shot. R2/RT activates the powerful shot mechanic, which makes your shot go faster but eliminates almost all curl. If you’re used to holding R2/RT for all your shots, you’ll need to break that habit specifically for curl attempts.
Many players also release the left analog stick too early. You have to keep holding the direction of the far corner until the ball completely leaves your player’s foot. If you let go even a fraction of a second early, the ball will go straight instead of bending, and you’ll almost always miss the far corner.
The last mistake is forcing curl shots when there’s a better option available. If you’re right in front of the goal 10 yards out, a simple low shot or finesse shot is much more reliable than a curl shot. If you have a teammate wide open in the middle of the box, passing to them for a tap-in is always better than forcing a low-percentage curl shot from a tight angle.
Once you get the inputs down and start recognizing the right situations to use the mechanic, learning how to curl shot in eFootball 2023 will become second nature in no time. I still practice 10 minutes of curl shots in training mode before every online session to keep my muscle memory sharp, and it’s paid off in more last-minute winners and upset wins over higher-rated teams than I can count. Don’t get frustrated if you miss the first few times – every player adjusts to the mechanic differently, and small tweaks to your power or direction are usually all you need to start scoring more goals. Try out the tips in this guide in your next friendly match, and you’ll see the difference right away.