Goals is arguably the most important stat in a football match. This is what makes football interesting and this is what separates the winners from the losers.
However, in order to get goals, players have to take lots of actions and they are so many live events that occurs in a match before a goal can be scored.
In this post, we will take a look at:
Other important live events in football includes: passes, possession, throw-ins, tackles, throw-ins, attacks, dangerous attacks, corners, shots and then goals.
For a goal to be scored, a player has to take a shot!
But not all shots are made equal, that’s why in football, there are 2 major types of shots.
You have Shots On Target and Shots off Target.
The combination of shots on target and shots off target is what constitutes the total shots in a match.
Even though shots off targets are important, in this post – we will be focusing solely on “Shots On Target” and “Shots on Target Stats” because they are more closely related to a goal being scored.
In football, a Shot On Target is defined as a shot that enters the goal or would have entered the goal if it had not been blocked by the goalkeeper or another player.
PS: Shots On Target is sometimes called Shots On Goal.
Opta which is the leading provider of sports defines shot on target as any goal attempt that:
Even though this post is all about Shots On Target, it’s important to know what Shots Off Target is.
A shot off target is defined as any clear attempt to score that:
Total shots in a football match is basically the combination of the shots on target and the shots off target.
So, Shots = Shots on Target + Shots off Target.
Both shots off and on target can be a good indication of how offensive a match is and the likelyhood of a goal.
Even though the term “Shots on Target” can sound very straightforward, there are some nuisances as to what actually can be considered shots on target in betting.
All goals are counted as Shots On Target. This is because any shot that ends in the back of the net will be considered as a shot on target regardless of the player’s intent.
Goals that hit the woodwork on the way in also a goal scored directly from a corner
Yes and No because it depends on what you mean by “block”.
Deflected Shot that would be going in, but for a save from the goalkeeper will be counted as Shot On Target.
However, blocked shots that a goalkeeper doesn’t save, instead collects due to a lack of power is NOT a shot on target.
Also, Blocked/deflected shots that hit the woodwork is NOT counted as shot on target.
Yes, but a penalty will only count as shots on target if the shot either goes into the net (goal), or is saved by the goalkeeper.
However, there are some scenarios where penalties will not be considered as a shot on target. For example if the penalty taker either:
A corner will be considered as a shot on target if it enters the goal, but will not be counted as shot on target if the corner would have gone into the goal, but the goalkeeper stops the ball from going in.
A corner kick that hits the goal post will not be a shot on target.
Its pretty hard to score from corners as you can imagine but there are quite a few instances where a player can score from one!
A shot that hits the goal post does not count as a shot on target. The posts only define the goal, but they are not part of the goal. That been said, a shot that hits the post will be considered as shot off target instead.
However, if a shot hits the goal post but goes in the net (goal), a shot on target will be awarded.
As a general rule, own goals will be counted as shots on target.
As stated by Opta; any shot that results in the ball entering the net (including an own goal) will be considered as a shot on target.
So long as the ball goes into the net, it will be considered a shot on target! It does not matter who puts the ball into the net.
Shots on target can be a good indication that a goal will be scored which is why most people use shots on target for their inplay betting.
Lets take this scenario:
There’s a match at the 20th minute with 0 goals but more than 6 shots on target so far.
What does this tell you?
Well, it tells you a lot. For one, it tells you that the teams are playing really offensively and that there might be a goal coming soon and if the teams playing are ones with history of scoring during first half goals, this might also be a good sticky point to help predict a goal being scored int he first half.
The only problem though is that if you are into football betting or trading, its REALLY hard and stressful to find matches based on the live shots on target manually.
The nature of InPlay betting requires you to make quick decisions on your toes without wasting time.
This is where a tool such as Footy Amigo can help you track shots on target and send you alerts when live matches that meets your rules and stats are found.
We’ve established the power of live shots on target stat and how it can help you predict the outcome of a match but if you have to manually find matches with the shots on target stats of your choice, you will not only loose your mind but you will also loose a lot of time and energy.
So, how do you track shots on target easily?
Well, you use the power of technology.
Our tool Footy Amigo allows you to create InPlay Strategies with live inplay stats such as shots on target and be alerted on your phone when live matches that meets the rules and stats you’ve set are found.
Let’s say you want to find matches where at a particular time of the match, the shots on target by the home team, the away team or both teams combined is 5, 6, 7 or whatever number you like, with Footy Amigo, you can do this within seconds and once live matches that meets the rules you set are found, Footy Amigo will send you an alert.
Here’s a video example where I used Footy Amigo to create an InPlay strategy for Over 0.5 first half goals but using live stats such as shots on target as a way to find the right matches.
Live shots on target stats can really improve your inplay betting and using an app / tool like Footy Amigo really helps you save a lot of time, energy and money but there’s more to InPlay betting than shots on target.
You should also consider other live inplay stats such as:
By combining these other stats with shots on target, you should be able to create smart and profitable long-term inplay betting strategies
If you really want to become a profitable football bettor or trader, you need to do what 99% of other bettors won’t do – which is “not relying on being saved by another person or waiting for handouts”
Instead, you should leverage tools like Footy Amigo (*cough* *cough* our tool which you can use for free for 7days without paying a dime)
Click here to create a free account. (it’s free for 7days)
Footy Amigo helps you bet smart and with confidence by providing you with the right information at the right time — before you place any bet. Its the secret tool used by smart and profitable bettors and traders to beat the bookies daily.
You can create InPlay Strategies with UNLIMITED live inplay stats and prematch stats you that cannot be found anywhere else on the internet.
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