Serie A 0-0 draw still absent after first two rounds

Italian football has started the Serie A season without a goalless draw, with at least one goal scored in each of the 20 matches played across the opening two rounds.

The statistic has been welcomed by the Italian press, particularly in comparison with the beginning of last season. Although six of this season’s matches have produced only one goal, every game so far has avoided a 0-0 scoreline.

That represents an improvement on the previous campaign, when the opening fixture between Genoa and Lecce ended goalless. The run of low-scoring stalemates continued throughout the early part of that season, with at least one 0-0 draw appearing in a match from every weekend up to and including the 12th round.

On some occasions, there was more than one goalless game in the same round. The 11th round, for example, featured several matches that finished 0-0.

After two rounds this season, however, every one of the first 20 fixtures has produced a goal. The six games in which there was only a single goal have kept the overall scoring totals relatively modest, but they have still ensured that the competition has not yet recorded a match without a goal.

According to derbyderbyderby.it, one factor behind the difference may be the current approach to refereeing in Italy. Officials have reportedly been encouraged to blow their whistles less often and allow players to continue playing, following what is described as a more European style.

The recommendation is intended to give matches greater continuity by allowing play to continue rather than stopping the game for every possible infringement. The Italian media have linked that approach, at least in part, to the absence of goalless draws during the opening two rounds.

The contrast with last season is therefore clear. Genoa’s 0-0 draw with Lecce meant the first match of that campaign immediately produced a scoreless stalemate, while the pattern remained present in at least one fixture during each weekend until the 12th round.

This time, all 20 matches have included at least one goal, even though six have been decided by a single strike. Serie A has consequently reached the end of its first two rounds without a 0-0 draw.