Analysis of goal scoring patterns as a factor in understanding the evolution of international cerebral palsy football

Cerebral palsy (CP) football is undergoing a process of professionalisation which is improving the performance in this para-sport. This study aims to report the evolution of goal performance between the Seville 2019 and Salou 2022 IFCPF World Cups. Goals from eighty-eight matches over two consecutive IFCPF World Cups, in which the 16 best-ranked national teams took part, were analysed. The results revealed a decrease in the average of goals per match between championships (from 5.6 to 4.5 goals/match). Scored and received goals correlated to the teams’ final ranking position in both Seville 2019 and Salou 2022. The distribution of goals by halves and 15-minute periods, the probability of winning the match when a team scores first, the classification of goalkeepers and scoring players, and the type of goals (type of attack, the action leading to the goal, and the distance of the goal) in Salou 2022 in comparison to the Seville 2019 World Cup, a notable enhancement in the parity among the teams involved is discernible, alongside a rise in the competitive nature of CP football spanning across the aforementioned tournaments. This study also provides some practical applications to CP football coaches and practitioners as the importance to concede fewer goals rather than scoring more, the importance of scoring first, the importance of physical performance in the last minutes of the match, the importance of FT2 players as scorers rather than FT3 players or the most effective kind of attacks. Keywords: Para-sport, international, performance analysis, paralympic, soccer.