Do players in Spanish professional soccer leagues maintain match 
running performance until the end of the match? A 5-minute 
interval analysis by match participation

Tomás García-Calvo; David Lobo-Triviño; José Ponce-Bordón; Borja Sanabria-Pino; Roberto López del Campo; Ricardo Resta; Paweł Chmura

doi:10.5114/biolsport.2025.151645

eISSN: 2083-1862
ISSN: 0860-021X

Biology of Sport

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4/2025
vol. 42

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abstract:

Original paper

Do players in Spanish professional soccer leagues maintain match running performance until the end of the match? A 5-minute interval analysis by match participation

Tomás García-Calvo

¹

,

David Lobo-Triviño

¹

,

José C. Ponce-Bordón

¹

,

Borja Sanabria-Pino

¹

,

Roberto López del Campo

²

,

Ricardo Resta

²

,

Paweł Chmura

³

Faculty of Sport Sciences, University of Extremadura, Cáceres, Spain
Department of Competitions and Mediacoach, LaLiga, Madrid, Spain
Department of Individual and Team Sports, Faculty of Physical Education and Sport, Wroclaw University of Health and Sport Sciences, Wrocław, Poland

Biol Sport. 2025;42(4):345–352

DOI: https://doi.org/10.5114/biolsport.2025.151645

Online publish date: 2025/08/04

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AMA

García-Calvo T, Lobo-Triviño D, Ponce-Bordón JC, et al. Do players in Spanish professional soccer leagues maintain match 
running performance until the end of the match? A 5-minute 
interval analysis by match participation. Biology of Sport. 2025;42(4):345-352. doi:10.5114/biolsport.2025.151645.

APA

García-Calvo, T., Lobo-Triviño, D., Ponce-Bordón, J. C., Sanabria-Pino, B., López del Campo, R.,  & Resta, R. et al. (2025). Do players in Spanish professional soccer leagues maintain match 
running performance until the end of the match? A 5-minute 
interval analysis by match participation. Biology of Sport, 42(4), 345-352. https://doi.org/10.5114/biolsport.2025.151645

Chicago

García-Calvo, Tomás, David Lobo-Triviño, José C Ponce-Bordón, Borja Sanabria-Pino, Roberto López del Campo, Ricardo Resta,  and Paweł Chmura. 2025. "Do players in Spanish professional soccer leagues maintain match 
running performance until the end of the match? A 5-minute 
interval analysis by match participation". Biology of Sport 42 (4): 345-352. doi:10.5114/biolsport.2025.151645.

Harvard

García-Calvo, T., Lobo-Triviño, D., Ponce-Bordón, J., Sanabria-Pino, B., López del Campo, R., Resta, R.,  and Chmura, P. (2025). Do players in Spanish professional soccer leagues maintain match 
running performance until the end of the match? A 5-minute 
interval analysis by match participation. Biology of Sport, 42(4), pp.345-352. https://doi.org/10.5114/biolsport.2025.151645

MLA

García-Calvo, Tomás et al. "Do players in Spanish professional soccer leagues maintain match 
running performance until the end of the match? A 5-minute 
interval analysis by match participation." Biology of Sport, vol. 42, no. 4, 2025, pp. 345-352. doi:10.5114/biolsport.2025.151645.

Vancouver

García-Calvo T, Lobo-Triviño D, Ponce-Bordón J, Sanabria-Pino B, López del Campo R, Resta R et al. Do players in Spanish professional soccer leagues maintain match 
running performance until the end of the match? A 5-minute 
interval analysis by match participation. Biology of Sport. 2025;42(4):345-352. doi:10.5114/biolsport.2025.151645.

PlumX metrics:

The present study aimed to analyse the match running performance differences across 5‑minute time intervals considering the players’ participation in matches. A total of 381,194 individual match observations from professional soccer players competing in the First (n = 171,957) and Second (n = 209,237) Spanish soccer leagues over the 2022/23 season were collected. Soccer players were classified according to their participation in matches. Total distance (TD), very high-speed running (VHSR, 21–24 km × h⁻¹), and sprinting speed running distance (Sprint, > 24 km × h⁻¹) were analysed using a computerized tracking system (TRACAB, Chyronhego, New York, NY). Match data were divided into pre-defined 5-minute intervals. Linear mixed models were performed to analyse match running performance over the 5-minute intervals while controlling the influence of match participation. The main results showed a decrease in match running performance as the match time progressed, from the 55th–60th minute onward (p < .001), although match participation also had a significant influence. Specifically, substitute players covered significantly greater VHSR (p < .001) and Sprint distances (p < .001) than the rest of the players during their time of participation. These findings provide knowledge about the evolution of match running performance over match time. Finally, analysis of 5-minute intervals may help coaches understand the periods of matches where player substitutions are most effective.

keywords:

Do players in Spanish professional soccer leagues maintain match running performance until the end of the match? A 5-minute interval analysis by match participation

Tomás García-Calvo 1 , David Lobo-Triviño 1 , José C. Ponce-Bordón 1 , Borja Sanabria-Pino 1 , Roberto López del Campo 2 , Ricardo Resta 2 , Paweł Chmura 3

Fatigue, Football, Match analysis, Physical demands, Professional

Tomás García-Calvo

¹

,

David Lobo-Triviño

¹

,

José C. Ponce-Bordón

¹

,

Borja Sanabria-Pino

¹

,

Roberto López del Campo

²

,

Ricardo Resta

²

,

Paweł Chmura

³