Europa League: Goals analysis of the league phase

There were 408 goals scored in the league phase of the 2024/25 Europa League.

Despite finishing 14th in the 36-team league, Galatasaray were the top scorers with 19 goals from eight games – though they also conceded 16. League phase leaders Lazio scored 17, as did Tottenham Hotspur (fourth in the league stage), while Manchester United (third), Lyon (sixth), Rangers (eighth) and Ajax Amsterdam (12th) all hit 16 goals.

Goals were key – teams who scored first won 69% of games, while teams who scored avoided defeat 90% of the time.

The average time of the first goal was 30 minutes into a game, while 43% of goals were scored in the first half and 57% in the second, including 7% of goals scored after 90 minutes.

Notable late goals included Beşiktaş, under new coach Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, who scored three second-half goals in a 4-1 win against high-flying Athletic Club. All three of Tottenham's goals against Elfsborg on Matchday 8 came after 70 minutes – and all were scored by academy graduates – while at Old Trafford on Matchday 7, Rangers' Cyriel Dessers equalised after 88 minutes before Bruno Fernandes scored the winner for Man United four minutes later.

The most common scoreline in the league phase was 1-1, with almost as many goals scored from losing positions as winning ones. The new format was exciting until the end of Matchday 8, when numerous positions and key placings were decided.

For UEFA's analysis unit, the way the goals were scored was an area to explore – and what follows looks at a range of aspects including where the goals were scored from and the times.

Although goals from outside the box have increased slightly, the overall number of shots from distance is decreasing as teams focus on working the ball into better scoring positions. UEFA technical observer Haakon Lunov explains that "with the box being so well defended, teams are occasionally forced to explore deeper shooting opportunities." With little time available in the box, it helped that 65% of goals were first-time finishes.

The xG data reveals that Galatasaray generated the highest expected goals, while league phase leaders Lazio had the most resilient defence, conceding the lowest xG at 5.2. Anderlecht and Tottenham led in xG overperformance, with Anderlecht netting 14 goals from an xG of 8.2, shared among 12 different scorers.

Individually, Olympiacos striker Ayoub El Kaabi was the top scorer in the league phase with seven goals (from an xG of 5.4), while the second top scorer, Hungarian international Barnabás Varga, also overperformed, his six goals coming from an xG of 4.4. Yunus Akgun of Galatasaray was the player who overperformed the most, scoring five goals from an xG of just 1.6. Another interesting player was Hamza Igamane of Rangers. The Moroccan only joined the club at the start of the season and didn't start scoring regularly domestically until December, yet he hit four Europa League goals from an xG of just 1.0, the second-best overperformance.

Another Galatasaray player, Dries Mertens, had the most assists – six – with Lyon's Rayan Cherki in second with four. There was a high proportion of assists from cutbacks (16% from the right) and every goal made a difference to the table.

Five teams finished on 10 points, but only three advanced – the three who'd conceded the fewest. Further up the table, Rangers were the one of four teams on 14 points to proceed directly to the knockout phase – it helped that they also scored more than the other three.