World Cup Stats: High Scoring, High Draw Rate, and Standout Player Performances
Auf einen Blick
- The World Cup has seen 75 goals in 24 matches, a 3.125 goal-per-game ratio, the highest since 1958.
- The draw ratio is also at its highest since 2010.
- Standout player stats include Harry Kane and Lionel Messi leading in shots and goals, Arda Guler's optimistic shooting, and Son Heung-min's surprising finishing struggles.
KI-generierte Zusammenfassung
Warum es wichtig ist
The World Cup has completed its first set of group matches, with early statistics indicating a high goal-scoring rate and a significant number of draws. Player statistics are being analyzed to identify standout performers.
The World Cup has already provided plenty of action.
In the twenty four matches so far, 75 goals have been scored with the 3.125 goal per game ratio the highest it has been after the first set of group matches since 1958.
Despite concerns about the extended nature of this World Cup, there is no problem with the competitive nature of the tournament either. Nine of the 24 matches have ended in a draw.
The 37.5% draw ratio is actually the highest at this stage since 2010 - when it was the same - and has only been higher once since 1954.
With the first round of games complete, here are the stand-out player stats at the World Cup so far.
Six players took six shots or more in their opening game but only two actually found the back of the net – England's Harry Kane and Argentina's Lionel Messi.
Kane's double drew him level with Gary Lineker as England's all-time top scorer at the World Cup with 10 goals, while Messi's hat-trick saw him equal Germany's Miroslav Klose as the all-time top scorer in the tournament's history with 16 goals.
Turkey's Arda Guler has taken the most shots at the tournament so far, although the fact that his eight attempts amounted to just 0.26 xG in total shows how optimistic his shooting was against Australia.
While the Real Madrid youngster is obviously far more talented than the average player, the quality of shots he took means that historically a player would score once every 31 attempts.
South Korea's Son Heung-min was the worst finisher in the opening round based on expected goals as he failed to score from six chances totalling 1.0 xG – a surprising fact given that the former Tottenham man was one of most ruthless finishers during his time in the Premier League.
24 players have a 100% shot conversion rate so far but only two have taken more than one shot – Sweden's Yasin Ayari and New Zealand's Elijah Just, who have both scored twice.
Seven players created five chances in their opening game but only Germany's Joshua Kimmich saw his teammates take advantage as he claimed two assists in the 7-1 win against Curaçao.
Offene Fragen
- Will the high scoring rate continue throughout the tournament?
- Which players will maintain their performance levels?
- Will the draw ratio remain high?
