Stoppage time: why it is 45+2 and not 47

A goal scored two minutes into first-half stoppage time is written 45+2, not 47, because the 47th minute belongs to the second half. The minute stops at the end of the half and the added time is counted after the plus, so a late first-half goal can never be mixed up with an early second-half one.

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A goal in stoppage time, written the way it happened.

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In short

  • The minute stopsA goal two minutes into first-half stoppage time is 45+2, because 47 belongs to the second half.
  • Time lost is addedTime lost to injuries, substitutions and delays is added at the end of each half.
  • The clock runs onThe second half of a 90-minute match runs from 46 to 90, and its stoppage time from 90+1.
  • Smaller formats tooA 45-minute 5-a-side has a 23-minute first half, so a goal just after it is 23+1.
  • Extra time carries onIn a 90-minute match extra time runs from 91 to 120, so its first stoppage goal is 105+1.
  • Worked out as you scoreA goal recorded after time is up gets the half's last minute, with the added time after the plus.
Two halves, one clock

Why 45+2 and not 47

A football clock runs on from one half to the next: the second half of a 90-minute match starts at 46. So the 47th minute belongs to the second half. A goal scored two minutes into the first half's is written 45+2, which says exactly when it happened and can never be mistaken for a goal early in the second half.

Stoppage time itself is time added at the end of a half for time lost to injuries, substitutions and delays. The referee, or whoever keeps the time, decides how much.

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The match clock runs on the scorer's phone from the moment a half starts. A goal recorded after the half's time is up is given the half's last minute, with the added time after the plus, so the scorer never has to work it out. The second half's minutes carry on from the first, 46 to 90 in a full match, and a goal in its stoppage time is 90+1, 90+2 and so on.

Smaller formats work the same way. A 45-minute 5-a-side has a 23-minute first half, so a goal just after it is 23+1.

Extra time carries on the same clock. In a 90-minute match its two halves run 91 to 105 and 106 to 120, so a goal in the stoppage time of its first half is 105+1.

Need to know

Questions people ask

About stoppage time.

Who decides how much stoppage time there is?

The referee, for time lost to injuries, substitutions and delays. In a local game, whoever keeps the time.

Why does the second half start at 46 minutes?

The clock runs on from the first half, so the second half of a 90-minute match runs from 46 to 90.

Does it work the same for 5-a-side?

Yes. A 45-minute match has a 23-minute first half, so a goal just after it is 23+1.

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