Abstract

KUBAYI, A  and  TORIOLA, A. Physical demands analysis of soccer players during the extra-time periods of the UEFA Euro 2016. SA J. Sports Med. [online]. 2018, vol.30, n.1, pp.1-3. ISSN 2078-516X.  http://dx.doi.org/10.17159/2078-516x/2018/v30i1a4842.

BACKGROUND: Despite the importance of extra-time (ET) in determining success in the knockout stages of tournaments, there is scant information on the physical demands of ET on soccer players. METHODS: This study investigated the physical demands of all soccer players (n=59) who completed four matches that went to ET at the 2016 UEFA Euro Championship. Players were categorised as follows: central defenders (CDs), wide defenders (WDs), central midfielders (CMs), wide midfielders (WMs) and attackers (ATs). Match activities were captured using a validated camera tracking system (InStat®). Descriptive statistics and repeated measures one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) were used to analyse the data. RESULTS: The findings showed that total distances covered by players during matches decreased by 13% from the first half of the game (113±10 m/min) to ET (98±10 m/min). Concerning playing positions, a decline in total distances covered during matches was more apparent among midfielders than players in other field positions. A repeated measures ANOVA, with a Greenhouse-Geisser correction, showed that the mean total distances differed significantly between halves of the game [F(1.54, 83.28) = 121.97, p < 0.001. CONCLUSION: Intervention strategies needed to sustain soccer players' physical performance during ET periods and of postmatch recovery modalities warrant further investigation.

Keywords : distance; physical performance; substitution; tournament.

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