What counts as a shot on target in football?
A shot on target is an attempt that scores, is saved by the goalkeeper, or is stopped by a last-line defender when it would otherwise go in. A shot straight against the post that stays out is off target. An ordinary defender block is a separate category. These are Opta's definitions, not a measure of how dangerous the attack looked.
What counts as a shot on target?
Does it count?
Fictional examples. Opta definitions.
Read all ten examplesGoalkeeper save
On targetThis shot would enter the goal, but the goalkeeper saves it. A routine save and a difficult save each count as one on-target attempt.
Adds 1 total shot and 1 on target.
- Total shots
- 1
- On target
- 1
- Off target
- 0
- Blocked
- 0
Goals are included in on target. They are not added to total shots again.
All ten incidents, at a glance
- Goalkeeper save: On target
- This shot would enter the goal, but the goalkeeper saves it. A routine save and a difficult save each count as one on-target attempt.Adds 1 total shot and 1 on target.
- Goal: On target · goal included
- The attacker's shot goes in and the goal is awarded to them. The goal is already part of the on-target count, not an extra shot.Adds 1 total shot and 1 on target. The goal is included in that shot.
- Post and out: Off target
- An untouched shot hits the post and rebounds away without going in. Hitting the frame directly is off target when the ball stays out.Adds 1 total shot and 1 off target.
- Post and in: On target · goal included
- The shot hits the post, then enters the net and is awarded as the attacker's goal. There is no new shot, so this is one attempt.Adds 1 total shot and 1 on target. The goal is included in that shot.
- Defender block: Blocked
- The defender stops a shot heading towards goal, with the goalkeeper still behind them. This ordinary block goes in the blocked column, not on target or off target.Adds 1 total shot and 1 blocked.
- Last-line stop: On target
- The goalkeeper has no chance of preventing the goal. The last defender stops a shot that would otherwise go in, so this counts as on target rather than an ordinary blocked shot.Adds 1 total shot and 1 on target.
- Shot wide: Off target
- The shot passes outside the posts without another player's touch. Being close does not make it on target.Adds 1 total shot and 1 off target.
- Keeper touches a miss: Off target
- The goalkeeper touches a shot that was already heading outside the posts. The touch does not turn that miss into an on-target attempt.Adds 1 total shot and 1 off target.
- Cross caught: No shot
- This is a cross intended for a team-mate, and the goalkeeper catches it. It is not a shot: the catch adds nothing to any shot column.Adds no shot and no goal.
- Swing and miss: No shot
- The attacker misses the ball completely and never gets a shot away. A promising opportunity without a shot adds nothing to the shot count.Adds no shot and no goal.
SOT means shots on target. A routine effort into the goalkeeper's hands counts just as much as a difficult save: one on-target attempt. The number records a category, not the quality of the chance or the skill of the finish.
The important distinction is between an on-target attempt, an off-target attempt and a blocked attempt. A goal scored by the shooter is already included in on target; do not add it again to the total. The examples below are fictional, with each incident's outcome specified.
Does hitting the post or crossbar count as a shot on target?
Not when an untouched shot hits the frame and stays out. If it goes in off the woodwork and is awarded as the shooter's goal, it is on target. The sound of the post does not decide the category; the outcome does.
Keep the whole sequence in view. A shot hitting the post and entering the net is one attempt. A player striking the rebound is a new attempt. Do not turn every change of direction into another shot.
Do blocked shots count as shots on target?
Usually not. An ordinary block with the goalkeeper or other defenders behind the blocking player is recorded as blocked. Opta does not put that attempt in the off-target column either.
The exception is a last-line stop: the defender prevents a goal that the beaten goalkeeper cannot stop. In the explorer, compare Defender block with Last-line stop. The defender's touch is not the deciding detail on its own; their role in preventing the goal matters.
Does every goalkeeper touch mean a shot on target?
No. Catching a cross is not saving a shot. Nor does touching an attempt that was going wide turn it into an on-target effort. Sofascore's published examples explicitly separate both cases from shots on target.
That is why counting a keeper's catches in a highlight reel will not reproduce the opposing team's shot total. First identify an attempt to score, then its destination and outcome. A complete swing and miss does not supply a shot simply because the opportunity looked excellent.
How can a team have shots but none on target?
Build the shot count
One fictional team starts with a post, a block and a wide shot. Add a goal to see how it fits inside the shot count.
Read the worked examples- Total shots
- 3
- On target
- 0
- Off target
- 2
- Blocked
- 1
0 on target + 2 off target + 1 blocked = 3 total
0 goals from these attempts, already included in on target.
This total uses Sportmonks' breakdown: on target + off target + blocked.
This shot would enter the goal, but the goalkeeper saves it. A routine save and a difficult save each count as one on-target attempt.
Adds 1 total shot and 1 on target.
- Post and outOff target
- Defender blockBlocked
- Shot wideOff target
3 of 12 incidents.
Worked examples and counting limits
- Three shots, none on target
- A post that stays out, an ordinary block and a wide shot: 3 total, 0 on target, 2 off target, 1 blocked.
- A save, then a new shot scores
- Two separate attempts: 2 total, 2 on target, 1 goal. A rebound off the post that enters without a new shot remains just one attempt.
- A cross is not an extra shot
- Adding the caught-cross example changes the incident list but not the shot count. The swing-and-miss example also adds no shot.
Each incident here has a stated outcome. Own goals and decisions overturned by VAR need the provider's event record; this tally does not classify them. A missing real statistic is unknown, not zero.
Our fictional team hits the post, has a shot blocked and sends another wide. That is three attempts without an on-target one. The attack might have looked threatening, but the zero is not a claim that nothing happened.
The tally uses total shots = on target + off target + blocked, the breakdown documented by Sportmonks. Adding a goal increases both total shots and shots on target by one. It does not increase the total twice. A saved attempt followed by a new, scoring shot adds two attempts and one goal.
Do not assume every percentage uses that same total as its denominator. Opta's shooting-accuracy calculation excludes blocked attempts and own goals. Check the definition beside a real statistic before trying to recreate it.
Are more shots on target always better chances?
Not necessarily. Five comfortable saves give five shots on target; a single difficult save gives one. The count alone cannot rank the opportunities. A narrow miss can also come from an excellent chance.
Expected goals, or xG, asks a different question about the chance before the outcome. Expected goals on target, xGOT, adds information about an on-target attempt's placement. Neither is a substitute label for the number of shots. Keep quantity, chance quality and goals separate when reading a match.
Why do two sites show different shot figures?
Start by matching the player or team, match and period. A first-half total and a full-match total answer different questions. Then check the provider and when the figures were updated. The Premier League says its official performance data is collected by Opta, checked during play and reviewed after the match. A live number is not necessarily the final record.
For a disputed incident, check the provider's event record rather than guessing from the final score. Deflections, own goals and overturned decisions need their actual event classification; the simple tally above does not adjudicate them. In particular, do not assign an opponent's own goal to an attacker's shot column yourself.
On Match XI, open the relevant match record for the actual result and recorded events. Use the lineup page for who started or is predicted to start next. The teaching incidents here are not live statistics for those teams.