Today's Edition
ABU DHABI (ALETIHAD)
The opening two rounds of the ADNOC Pro League have seen a striking surge in headed goals, which account for nearly a third of all strikes recorded so far.
Statistics show that 10 of the 34 goals scored after Round 2 came from headers, representing 29.4% of the total – a marked jump compared with recent seasons. Last year, headed goals made up just 21% of the total, while in 2023-24 the proportion stood at 17%.
Past precedent also shows that some momentum is eventually lost in most seasons. By the end of campaigns in the past two seasons, the percentages had dropped further, settling at 18% last season and 15.7% the year before.
Al Ain have led in the reliance on aerial play, with four of their five goals (80%) scored through headers.
The team had also ranked second in this category last season with 13 headed goals, just one behind Shabab Al Ahli.
At the heart of Al Ain’s effectiveness is Togolese striker Kodjo Laba, who remains the competition’s most prolific header of the ball. He has scored two of his three goals this season with his head, accounting for 66.6% of his tally, and once again tops the overall scoring charts.
Laba was also the leading scorer by headers last season, netting eight of his 20 goals (40%) in this manner. His strike rate for Al Ain is 50% so far.
Al Nasr have emerged as another notable case this season. Both of their victories have been secured by single headed goals, giving them a 100% reliance on aerial strikes so far.
This marks a sharp contrast to last year, when they ranked sixth in the category with only eight headed goals, representing just 17.7% of their total.
The majority of the aerial goals have come from crosses, which accounted for 80% of the total, including six from corner kicks and two from indirect free-kicks.
Half of these efforts were finished from inside the six-yard box, underlining the decisive impact of set-piece delivery and close-range positioning.
