Conference League: Goals analysis of the league phase
Monday, February 16, 2026
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UEFA's game insights unit examines how the 256 goals were scored in this season’s league phase of the UEFA Conference League.
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Rayo Vallecano scored the most from open play, Polish sides excelled at set pieces, and crosses and cutbacks remained as important as ever. Yes, goals are the holy grail of any football match, and the 2025/26 UEFA Conference League league phase served up 256 of them across six matchdays – an average of 2.38 per game.
Rayo's open-play mastery placed them on the list of top-scoring teams illustrated below, just behind first-ranked AEK Athens, and both clubs found the net in each of their six games, along with Strasbourg. Logically, all three sides progressed directly to the round of 16.
If the total of 256 goals marked a notable drop from last season's 320, this can be attributed to the competitive nature of the league phase. With tighter games overall, 23% of matches were drawn (25) and almost half, 43%, were decided by just one goal (46) – compared with 20% (22) drawn and 35% (38) settled by a single goal the previous campaign.
Goal times
The closer the games, the greater the drama, and as the above graphic shows, a total of 59 goals came between the 76th minute and the final whistle of matches, added time included. That amounted to 23% of all goals and accounted for some exciting finishes.
AEK Athens exemplified this on Matchday 6, overcoming a 2-0 deficit to clinch automatic qualification with two stoppage-time strikes – a 90+8' equaliser and 90+14' penalty winner – which eliminated opponents Universitatea Craiova. It was reward for the Greek team's winning mentality and effective deployment of substitutes throughout a league phase where they struck five times from the 76th minute onwards, with three goals from substitutes.
Altogether, there were 15 comeback victories. The winning goal in ten of those games arrived after the 80-minute mark, and as this graphic attests, Rayo Vallecano, Strasbourg and AEK featured among the late shows.
Goal method
At the other end of the spectrum, Sigma Olomouc and Jagiellonia enter the knockout phase with strong set-play credentials, as witnessed by this graphic. Sigma hit four set-piece goals while Jagiellonia scored 60%, or three out of five goals, from these scenarios.
Four direct free-kicks were scored – showcasing extreme accuracy and power – including Rafał Augustyniak's outstanding last-gasp winner for Legia Warszawa away to Shakhtar Donetsk, a goal you can enjoy in this video compilation.
First-time finishing
It was the direct, first-time finish that produced 60% of open-play goals: in all, 110 goals were scored from a first-time finish, with combination play and crossing situations key to this figure. As evidenced by the video below, Rayo Vallecano were particularly impressive in moving the ball quickly to disrupt the opposition in and around the box, to find space for a first-time finish inside it. The Spanish side hit seven of their 11 open-play goals this way. Rayo's attacking strategy also brought the most goal attempts: 111.
Overall, the vast majority of first-touch goals came from the central areas depicted in the related graphic, with 84% scored inside the box and within the width of the six-yard box. This highlights how vital it is for coaches to work in this area to best prepare players for the demands of the game today. The three goals struck by Omonoia forward Angelos Neophytou were first-time finishes aided by clever positioning, often behind the marker, to receive a pass or claim a rebound.
Assists
Once again, crosses and cutbacks were a major focus for creating goalscoring opportunities, with 27% of goals coming from traditional wide crossing areas (outside the box) and 26% coming from wide zones inside the box. Sparta Praha scored five of their ten open-play goals from these cutback zones; Strasbourg, meanwhile, were very effective down their left, scoring six times from the left compared with once on the right. This demonstrates how sides adjust their attacking strategy to get their most creative players in dangerous positions.
The above graphic reveals that just eight goals were assisted from inside a team's own half. Yet in each case, through effective recognition of space and team-mates' positioning, the attacking players were released in 1v1 situations, either against their direct opponent or directly through on goal. As seen in the video below, Rayo Vallecano goalkeeper Augusto Batalla was the only keeper to 'assist', playing a long ball behind the Slovan Bratislava defence for Fran Pérez to score.
Patience vs speed in attack
Finally, this chart verifies that the majority of goals were scored with minimal passes, since 54% featured two or less. By contrast, 9% of goals followed significant spells of possession (ten or more passes), and a total of five goals stemmed from more than 20 passes. The high-water mark for passing sequences leading to a goal was the 35 passes Strasbourg made prior to their clinching goal against Häcken, which you can watch in this video.
Whatever the stats, the league phase had moments when teams advanced upfield with patience and purpose, with players recognising when to support the man on the ball and when to threaten the opposition with forward runs. It all added to the spectacle of a competition in which crosses and cutbacks, as well as tighter games, late goals and comebacks were the prevailing currency.
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