A soccer game is 90 minutes long, however, it can also extend to 120 minutes in some matches if the game ends in a draw.
Since the soccer game is physically demanding, players will have to get some rest in between the game’s full duration, but how long are these breaks?
While most people know that the half-time break of the first 90 minutes of the game is 15 minutes long, a lot of soccer fans do not actually know how long the break between the official game time and the extra time is. If you are among these people, here is your answer:
After the official game time ends, the players get a 5 minutes break before the extra time starts. During these 5 minutes, the players are not allowed to leave the field so they gather around their coach to get instructions for the extra time and they do some other forms of preparation.
But what exactly do the players do during these 5 minutes? The answer to this is quite simple actually.
What do soccer players do during the break before the extra time?
It is easier to know what the players do during the break before the extra time than during the halftime break of the game. Simply because the players do not leave the field during the pre extra-time break which means that you can watch everything the players are doing.
So, based on my observations after watching hundreds of soccer games, here are 4 things the soccer players do before the extra time starts.
1- The players remain on the field.
As I have mentioned earlier, the players are not allowed to leave the field during the break before the extra time.
Why? Simply because the break is very short. Going into the locker room and then coming back takes time by itself. So it makes sense that the players remain on the field during the whole break.
One advantage of this is that the audience in the stadium will have something to watch instead of sitting there waiting for the players to show up from their locker rooms
2- The players take a minute to catch their breath.
Who would have thought right? The first thing that the players do after the end of the second half of the game is to go grab some water and take some rest.
Some players prefer to fall down on the grass for a quick break while others remain standing.
One thing that you might notice during the 5 minutes break is that some players get massages for their muscles.
These players lay down on the grass field while a professional massages their legs in order to reduce their muscle fatigue so that they can push through till the end of the game.
Remember, a 90 minutes of explosive running is no joke at all. Many players usually get very tired by the end of the 90 minutes and massages can help their muscles a little bit.
3- Players gather around the coach for instructions
The coach of each team will have a lot of instructions for their players after watching them play for 45 minutes straight.
Since there isn’t a lot of time during the break before the extra time, the coach of each team goes into the field after the players take a minute or 2 to catch their breath.
Once the coach steps in, you will see the players gathering around them in a circle to listen to their instructions.
The coach will also be giving the players some motivational words in order to push them to give their all to their team in the next 30 extra minutes of the game.
4- Changing equipment.
If any player wants to change their equipment before the beginning of the extra time, they will be able to do so on the field.
Some players choose to change their jersey for example before the extra time starts just so that they get rid of all the sweat on the jersey.
Other players might choose to change their cleats and so on. But in general, you don’t see a lot of players changing their equipment during the 5 minutes break unless they think it is very necessary.
CONCLUSION
While the break before the extra time of a soccer game is not very long, it is very much needed for the players to catch their breath and to prepare for the extra 30 minutes that they will have to play.
The preparations usually range from drinking water to getting massages and listening to the coach’s instructions.