Irreplaceable Super Subs!

On Matchday 1 of Ligue 1 McDonald’s, the impact of substitutes was undeniable, with six of them scoring goals. This highlights just how crucial these players can be.

From the very first match of the season in Le Havre, Paris Saint-Germain saw three of their goal scorers come off the bench—Ousmane Dembélé, Bradley Barcola, and Randal Kolo Muani—marking only the second time in their history this has happened, the first being on Sept. 3, 1996, against Montpellier (with Julio Dely Valdes, Leonardo Araújo, and Laurent Fournier).

Le Havre manager Didier Digard couldn’t help but praise PSG’s substitutes: “It’s hard to ignore the talent of the Parisian subs.”

This scenario is typical at the start of the season when international players or new signings have yet to play a complete game.

With six goals from substitutes, Matchday 1 ranks among the top ten days for substitute goals since the 2022-23 season, when five substitutions were allowed. Last season's Matchday 27 holds the record with ten goals from substitutes.

The highest goal ratios for super subs in a single matchday (since 2022-23):

40 percent: Matchday 27 (2023-24)
31 percent: Matchday 13 (2022-23)
28 percent: Matchday 21 (2022-23)
27 percent: Matchday 23 (2023-24)
26 percent: Matchday 1 (2024-25)
25 percent: Matchday 29 (2022-23)
23 percent: Matchday 1 (2022-23)

Kolo Muani: PSG’s Super Sub

Kolo Muani made a notable impact after coming on for Gonçalo Ramos early in the first half, solidifying his role as a key substitute for PSG. The former FC Nantes player has scored 57 percent of his goals after coming off the bench, a significant achievement. Only Lebo Mothiba has a better rate during this period, with 67 percent of his goals coming as a substitute.

Among Parisian players, Kolo Muani trails only behind the Portuguese forward in the ranking of PSG’s super subs, with four goals. Ramos is one of four players with five goals coming off the bench, alongside Saïd Benrahma, Mohamed Daramy, and Folarin Balogun.

Clubs Where Substitutes Score the Most Goals in Ligue 1 McDonald’s

(Goals scored by substitutes since the 2022-23 season):

22 goals: Paris Saint-Germain
20 goals: Stade Rennais, RC Lens
19 goals: AS Monaco
17 goals: FC Lorient
16 goals: OGC Nice, Olympique Lyonnais
15 goals: Toulouse FC
14 goals: Montpellier HSC, RC Strasbourg Alsace, Stade Brestois
13 goals: Olympique de Marseille, LOSC Lille, FC Nantes

Substitutes Making a Bigger Impact in Crunch Time

On Matchday 1 of the 2024-2025 season, it was clear that substitutes have a more significant impact. Since the introduction of the five substitutions, they’ve averaged 0.4 goals per match over the past two seasons, showing a noticeable improvement from previous years.

Since the 2022-2023 season, 14.7 percent of goals scored from the 86th minute onward in Ligue 1 have been by substitutes, compared to 11.9 percent between 2006 and 2022, when only three substitutions were allowed. This trend highlights the growing importance of substitutes.

However, the overall number of goals scored in the final moments has remained stable, with the percentage slightly decreasing in recent seasons to 11.2 percent, compared to 12 percent in the earlier period.

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