First vs Second half goal distribution across Europe’s top 5 leagues: Scoring patterns of all 96 teams
| Updated: October 17, 2024 
Brentford recently joked with their fans for a slower-than-usual start in their match against Wolverhampton, where they narrowly missed extending their streak of scoring in the opening minute to four consecutive meetings. Instead, The Bees found the net with a slight delay – in the second minute. It also brought to mind Bayer Leverkusen’s heroics last season when the German side often scored late to avoid defeat and go unbeaten throughout the entire Bundesliga campaign. Inspired by these events, Sportingpedia investigated which teams from Europe’s top five leagues tend to strike early and which are more prone to leaving it late. The data reveals that German teams are particularly polarized. Union Berlin and Bochum top the charts for first-half goals, with 83% of their goals scored before the break. On the flip side, Freiburg and Borussia Monchengladbach lead the second-half surge, netting 89% and 86% of their goals after the interval, respectively.
Key Takeaways:
- The Premier League and the Bundesliga have seen more goals in the opening period, while La Liga, Ligue 1, and Serie A witness more goals in the 2nd half
- Union Berlin and Bochum are the teams who have scored the largest portion of their goals in the 1st half – 83%
- Freiburg and Borussia Monchengladbach are on the other end of the scale, scoring 89% and 86% of their goals in the 2nd period of the match
- In the Premier League, Wolverhampton scores 78% of their goals before the break, while Crystal Palace leaves 80% for the second half
- Athletic Bilbao finds 69% of their goals in Spain’s top flight in the opening period, unlike Leganes and Valladolid, who reserve 80% for after the break
- In Serie A, Empoli and Lecce score 67% of their goals in the first half, whereas Roma and Verona see 75% come in the latter period
- Ligue 1 sees Lens scoring 71% of their goals in the opening period, while Angers finds 80% of theirs after the break
- Among the heavyweights, the reigning Champions League holders and Spanish champions Real Madrid are the most biased team, scoring only 4 (21%) of their 19 La Liga goals before the break
Bundesliga 188 goals; 95 1st half; 93 2nd half; Ratio 51:49
In the Bundesliga, the scoring pattern is quite balanced, with a 51:49 ratio between first and second-half goals. Of the 188 goals scored, 95 have come in the opening period, while 93 have been netted after the break. Eight clubs, including Union Berlin and Bochum, score the majority of their goals in the first half, with both teams hitting 83% of their goals early. On the other hand, Borussia Monchengladbach and Freiburg are among the teams leaving most of their scoring for the second half, with Freiburg scoring 89% of their goals after the break, the highest in the league.
Premier League 201 goals; 101 1st half; 100 2nd half; Ratio 50:50
The English Premier League stands out as the most balanced among Europe’s top five leagues, with a nearly equal distribution of goals scored before and after half-time. Eight Premier League clubs tend to score more in the first half, while 11 teams do the majority of their scoring in the second half. Wolverhampton leads the pack in early strikes, with 78% of their goals coming before the break. Brentford follows closely with 69%, while Ipswich Town rounds out the top three at 67%. On the opposite end, Newcastle, Southampton, and Crystal Palace tend to leave it late. The Magpies and Saints score 75% of their goals in the second half, while Crystal Palace tops the list, with a remarkable 80% of their goals coming after the break.
Ligue 1 195 goals; 93 1st half; 102 2nd half; Ratio 48:52
Ligue 1 leans slightly toward second-half scoring, with a 48:52 split of goals. Out of the 195 total goals, 93 have come in the first half, while 102 were scored after the break. Teams like Lens and Nice tend to strike early, with 71% and 67% of their goals coming in the first period, respectively. However, clubs like Angers and Le Havre are more productive later in the game, with Angers scoring 80% of their goals after half-time, marking the highest percentage in the league.
Serie A 192 goals; 86 1st half; 106 2nd half; Ratio 45:55
In Serie A, the distribution of goals is more skewed towards the second half, with 106 of the 192 goals coming after halftime, creating a 45:55 ratio. While six teams score more in the first half, such as Empoli and Lecce with 67% of their goals before the break, others like Roma and Verona save the bulk of their efforts for later. Both clubs score 75% of their goals in the second period, showing a clear trend of late-game impact.
La Liga 224 goals; 96 1st half; 128 2nd half; Ratio 43:57
La Liga stands out as the most lopsided of Europe’s top five leagues in terms of goal distribution. In Spain’s top flight, 43% of goals have been netted before half-time, while a significant 57% come after the break. Only four teams have scored the bulk of their goals in the opening 45 minutes, leaving 16 clubs to do most of their damage in the second half. Athletic Bilbao leads in early efficiency, with 69% of their 13 goals arriving in the first halves of their games. Valencia and Villarreal follow closely, with 60% and 59% of their goals, respectively, coming after the break. On the flip side, Real Madrid, Leganеs, and Valladolid rely heavily on late strikes. Real Madrid has scored just 4 of their 19 league goals before the interval, with an impressive 79% coming after half-time. Leganés and Valladolid boast similar figures, with 80% of their goals occurring in the second half.