Champions League Performance Insights: Substitutes in the heat of the action

Those tuning into this week's UEFA Champions League action would be wise to keep a keen eye on the substitutes.

After all, players who came off the bench on Matchday 2 had a major impact. Amid the unprecedented flow of 78 goals, UEFA's game insights unit noted the eye-catching part played by substitutes, who contributed 18 goals – the joint-highest number for a Champions League week – and a record 19 assists.

It was a week when coaches made attacking substitutions to impressive effect. Where last season's overall share of goals from substitutes was 16%, last week it was 23%.

In no game did substitutes play a more spectacular role than in Real Madrid’s 4-3 comeback win at Roma, when Carlos Espí and Endrick scored and Arda Güler produced two assists. Curiously, all five Spanish teams won with the help of a scoring substitute – including Real Betis' Cucho Hernández, whose goal against Porto also features in the video analysis below. He produced a one-touch finish with just his second involvement, highlighting the need for a substitute to be patient and ready – as our coaching reflection at the end will explore.

Another team to highlight are Arsenal whose 3-0 victory over Lille included a goal and an assist from substitute Bukayo Saka. "They [his substitutes] increased the intensity, the quality and we suffocated them more and more and more," affirmed Mikel Arteta, a coach whose in-game changes we have focused on before.

Espí sparks the comeback

Three minutes after his introduction, Carlos Espí narrowed the deficit before fellow substitute Endrick equalised at 3-3.

Hernández puts Betis back on track

Cucho Hernández made it 2-2 with his third touch – 13 minutes after Porto substitute Samu had hit the visitors' second goal.

Saka stretches Gunners' lead

Two minutes after coming on, Bukayo Saka provided the assist for Eberechi Eze before then making it 3-0 himself.

Coaching reflection: Solskjær on substitutes

UEFA Technical Observer Ole Gunnar Solskjær, Manchester United's 1999 final super sub, shares the following insights:

• For coaches: When changing to create problems for the opposition, this could mean changing your structure or introducing personnel with different attributes to exploit a weakness. Coaches must consider the physical aspect too. With players tiring towards the end of a game, is there an opposition player you can exploit by bringing on extra pace? Or, for example, do you get crosses into the box and add a player who's good at heading?

• For players: As a player, I was often used as an impact sub and the skill is to be mentally and physically ready. There's no point sulking on the bench and I was pretty good at trying to prove a point to my manager. As a striker, you often come on when your team needs a goal as they're losing; it can also be when they're well on top, so there are different scenarios that you need to prepare for.

A renowned striker who landed six Premier League titles at Manchester United and scored the winner in the 1998/99 Champions League final, Ole Gunnar Solskjær steered Molde to two league championships in his native Norway then reached the 2020/21 UEFA Europa League final as United boss.