Is a Goal Scored Really Valuable for a Team in Soccer? The effect of Scorelineon Team Success in the UEFA Champions League

Abstract

A total of 306 goals scored in the UEFA Champions League group matches in the 2017-2018 season were analyzed. The goals scored in matches were analyzed using the video analysis program (e-analyze pro-soccer, e-sports) in line with the determined criteria. In order to reveal the difference between the distributions of the goals according to the criteria, Chi-square (X2)analysis was employed. Regarding thecriterion of the effect of the scored goal on the instant score. The distribution of winning the match upon scoring the first goal of the match for the qualifying teams was found to be significantly higher compared to the non-qualifying teams. In top-ranking football matches, the winning rate of the the teams that score a goal and getahead in the game or double the score difference are quite high. The most significant finding that supports this expected situation is that the winning rate of the teams that score the first goal of the match is rather high. The results obtained from this study are believed to be useful for especially coachesand players that participate in similar tournaments.