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Football's wildest throw-in? Defender somersaults over ball before launching spectacular assist from the touchline
An Iranian defender produced a spectacular assist in Russia, using his trademark somersault throw-in to launch the ball into the box for a headed goal.
An Iranian defender has turned a routine throw-in into one of the most extraordinary assists of the young Russian football season, executing a forward somersault before launching the ball into the penalty area for Spartak Kostroma.
Nader Mohammadi produced his trademark flip throw during Spartak’s 3-1 victory over SKA-Khabarovsk in the Russian First League on Sunday, with Sergey Bugriyov heading his delivery into the net for the visitors’ third goal.
Mohammadi used the ball for support as he launched himself into a forward flip, landed at the touchline and immediately hurled it deep into the box. The throw travelled almost like a cross before Bugriyov met it with his head in the 83rd minute.
The assist made the moment even more remarkable given Mohammadi’s brief time in Russian football. The 29-year-old only joined Spartak Kostroma towards the end of July after spending his professional career in Iran, and the game against SKA-Khabarovsk was only his second league appearance for the club. Spartak had already been given a glimpse of his unusual weapon on his debut against Yenisey on August 1. This time, however, it directly produced a goal.
From gymnastics to football’s strangest throw-in
The technique is anything but a spontaneous piece of showmanship. Mohammadi spent around a decade practicing gymnastics before establishing himself as a professional footballer and has previously said that his background in the sport helped him develop the somersault throw. The flip allows him to generate additional momentum before releasing the ball and send throw-ins over unusually long distances.
According to Mohammadi, he has created more than 10 goals using the technique during his career. Spartak head coach Roman Berezovsky also indicated after Sunday’s victory that the club sees the throw as a genuine tactical weapon rather than a novelty. Having seen Mohammadi demonstrate his range during his debut, Spartak positioned players inside the penalty area to attack his deliveries against SKA.
It paid off spectacularly. Mohammadi was already well known in Iranian football for the technique before moving to Russia. A throw while playing for Paykan in 2020 travelled directly towards goal and ended up in the net after goalkeeper Alireza Haghighi made contact with the ball.
Another of his throws, launched from inside his own half against Persepolis, also went viral because of the extraordinary distance it covered. His reputation became so formidable that Foolad were accused in 2021 of altering the dimensions of their pitch before facing Paykan in an attempt to reduce the effectiveness of his long throws. The match commissioner intervened before the game could begin.
Mohammadi has now taken that unusual specialty outside Iran for the first time — and needed only two appearances to demonstrate why Russian opponents may soon have to start treating a Spartak throw-in like a set-piece.
