Getting an early toe-hold in a game can lay the platform for three points, so who bosses the first half stats in the 2016/17 Season? Opta Data has the answers.
When it comes to scoring goals in the opening 45 minutes of matches this season, it’s probably no surprise that Melbourne City skipper Bruno Fornaroli leads the way.
The prolific Uruguayan has set the standard for goal scoring since the start of last season and is again leading the race [alongside Perth’s Andy Keogh] for the golden boot with seven goals from the opening nine rounds.
Interestingly, for Fornaroli, five of those have come in the first half, the most of any player in the competition.
It’s enabled City to lead the league when it comes to first-half goals this campaign, their eight the most of any team.
While Fornaroli has scored the most in the first 45 minutes, Brisbane Roar’s Jamie Maclaren is arguably the competition’s first-half specialist.
All four of the Caltex Socceroos striker’s goals have been scored in the first half.
Melbourne Victory star Besart Berisha is alongside Maclaren with four first-half goals from his tally of five this season.
|
 |
First Half Goals |
Total Goals |
|
Bruno Fornaroli |
5 |
7 |
|
Besart Berisha |
4 |
5 |
|
Jamie Maclaren |
4 |
4 |
|
Henrique |
3 |
3 |
|
Andy Keogh |
2 |
7 |
|
Roy Krishna |
2 |
5 |
|
Bobô |
2 |
3 |
|
Adam Taggart |
2 |
2 |
|
Nicolás MartÃnez |
2 |
2 |
|
Thomas Kristensen |
2 |
2 |
Conversely, Berisha’s Victory team-mate Marco Rojas seems to take time to get himself into matches.
The Kiwi international has scored all five of his goals after the half-time break.
Glory’s Keogh [seven] and Wellington’s Roy Krishna [five] are near the top of the scoring charts with excellent starts for their respective sides.
The duo have both scored twice in the first half of matches in 2016/17, putting them alongside Fornaroli as the only three players to have scored two or more goals in both halves.
While City has scored the most goals in the first 45 minutes this season, Adelaide United and Brisbane Roar have scored a higher percentage in the opening half.
Both the Reds and Roar have found the net nine times in the opening nine rounds, with six of them (66.7%) in the first half.
Across the league, 53 of the 124 goals scored so far in the 2016/17 season have come in the first stanza at just under 43%.
