The Süper Lig’s first half of the season told a clear, numbers-backed story: matches were shaped less by early control and more by what happened after halftime.
A breakdown of all 153 games played through Week 17 shows a league that came alive late, where tactical shifts, physical endurance and mental sharpness often decided outcomes.
Across the opening 17 rounds, the league’s 18 teams scored 398 goals, but the timing of those strikes was far from evenly spread.
Only 171 goals arrived in the first halves, compared with 227 after the interval, reinforcing how games loosened as intensity rose and defensive discipline faded.
The trend suggests coaches increasingly used halftime to recalibrate, while teams chasing results took greater risks as the clock ticked down.
The most fertile stretch was the 61st to 75th minute, which produced 70 goals, the highest of any 15-minute segment.
This window frequently marked the tipping point of matches, when substitutions injected pace and energy and defensive lines struggled to adjust.
The period immediately after halftime, 46-60 minutes, followed closely with 63 goals, underlining how quickly momentum could swing once play resumed.
Even the closing regulation phase, 76-90 minutes, delivered 61 goals, highlighting the Süper Lig’s reputation for late drama.
Added time amplified that unpredictability.
Teams scored 51 goals in stoppage time, often reshaping scorelines and league positions.
Of the 18 goals netted in first-half added time, Galatasaray and Rizespor led the way with three each, while the closing moments after the 90th minute proved even more decisive.
Clubs struck 33 times in second-half stoppage time, with Galatasaray again setting the standard, scoring four after full time. In total, the Istanbul side collected seven stoppage-time goals, the highest in the league, reflecting a blend of persistence, attacking depth and late-game belief.
At the team level, Fenerbahçe and Galatasaray finished the first half tied at 39 goals, but their scoring rhythms differed.
Fenerbahçe showed balance across all phases, with strong returns between the 61st and 90th minutes, while Galatasaray paired a productive mid-second half with an exceptional ability to punish opponents in added time.
Trabzonspor’s 33 goals were spread steadily across both halves, whereas Beşiktaş’s 30-goal haul leaned more heavily on earlier phases, with a sharper drop-off late in matches.
