GlossaryFootball / soccer
What is an assist?
An assist is credited to the player who makes the final pass or touch before a team-mate scores a goal.
Assists reward creation rather than finishing. Only the last contribution before the goal counts, so a defence-splitting pass earns the assist even if the scorer still had work to do. Leading assist charts sit alongside top-scorer charts as the main creative-output measure.
See it in the numbers
Open the spreadsheet and watch this appear in live scores and standings — disguised as work.
Related terms
What is xG (expected goals)?
Expected goals (xG) rates the quality of each scoring chance from 0 to 1 — the probability an average player would score it — and a team's xG is the sum of those chances.
What is goal difference (GD)?
Goal difference is goals scored minus goals conceded, and it's the most common tie-breaker when teams are level on points — a bigger goal difference ranks higher.
What is a clean sheet?
A clean sheet is when a team concedes no goals in a match — a common measure of defensive and goalkeeping quality.
Aggregate score (two legs)
In a two-legged knockout tie, the aggregate score adds both matches together, and the team with the higher combined total goes through.