Conference League: Goals analysis of the league phase

There were 320 goals scored in the league phase of the 2024/25 Conference League.

UEFA's analysis unit shone a spotlight on the source of the goals – with a particular focus on success from set plays – and explored various aspects such as goal timings, number of passes in build-up, location of assists and the standout teams and individuals who overperformed their expected goals.

Starting with the timing of goals, the analysis revealed that more goals were scored in the second half than the first (187 vs 133). As the first bar chart above shows, 16 of the 187 came in added time after the 90th minute. Despite the number of late goals, the opening goal proved crucial in the overwhelming majority of matches – the team scoring first avoided defeat in 93% of games and went on to claim the three points in 54% of matches.

While the majority of goals (77%) came from open play, nearly a quarter (23%) resulted from set plays. The above bar chart shows the league phase winners, Chelsea, leading the way with six set-play strikes out of their 26-goal haul. Just behind the Premier League team with four are the Cypriot side APOEL FC and Austria's SK Rapid. The first video below illustrates these two teams' potency from set plays. For APOEL, the four set-play goals comprised 50% of their total. Meanwhile SK Rapid's tally of 11 included four set-play strikes, all from corners.

Moving on to the creation of goals, both above examples fit into the category most prominent in the analysis of build-up play. The below chart shows the highest number of goals (115) came after one, two or three passes.

The next video shows two typical examples of this type of goal. Gustavo Da Silva Cunha's opening strike for Vitória SC against Fiorentina on Matchday 6 and Deniz Hümmet's Matchday 3 finish for Djurgården against Panathinaikos both come after interceptions and swift, direct counterattacks.

It wasn't all about transitions and fast penetration, however. The analysis revealed a high number of goals resulting from more than 10 passes in long spells of patient probing and searching for pockets of space between the lines. The third video below offers two such examples from teams who made it through to the knockout round play-offs, Celje and Copenhagen.

Coaches should help players develop the ability to assess game situations in real time, understanding when to launch swift, direct attacks and when to slow the tempo, patiently building play to break down organised defences.

The next two charts offer insight into the location of assists, with the second illustration showing how crosses and cutbacks in the final third offered a consistent source of goals.

In keeping with the trend of falling numbers of goals scored from outside the penalty area, the next chart emphasises the importance of central areas in and around the six-metre box. A total of 91% of the goals in the league phase came from inside the box.

The fourth video above showcases three strikes highlighted by the analysis unit as typical of a league phase in an elite UEFA competition where time and space in the front of goal are at a premium. All three are first-time finishes, which made up 68% of the total – a marked increase when compared to last year's UEFA Champions League group stage. The first two are headers from inswinging crosses from near the corner of the penalty area. The third is a one-touch guided finish by Shamrock Rovers' Johnny Kenny in the six-yard box after a driven cross.

Coaches should focus on training games that promote sharp movement and first-time finishing because most goals are from quick, instinctive finishes inside the box.

Switching focus away from individuals to team prowess, as the runaway league winners and leading goalscorers, Chelsea led the way on the revealing metric of expected goals overperformance. The above bar chart shows Enzo Maresca's side exceeded their xG of 17.3 by scoring 26 goals, an impressive 8.7xG overperformance.

Delving deeper into the xG figures offers an insight on the most efficient individuals. Chelsea's Marc Guiu stands out with a personal xG overperformance of 3.1. The final video illustrates the ability of the Spanish teenager to create his own chances and finish with icy composure, one from a driving diagonal run from the touchline and the second after a smart interception in the penalty area. Cercle Brugge's Gary Magnée registered the next highest xG overperformance – 2.6. The third example in the video shows the Belgian full-back's eye for goal, with a curling effort from the corner of the penalty area on Matchday 1 against St. Gallen.