Two in three World Cup group matches were decided by a goal or less

How close were the 2018 World Cup's group matches? Each row is one of the 48 group-stage matches in Russia, with its final score. Half of them were settled by exactly one goal, and the most common scorelines were the two tightest ones.

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Half the matches were won by a single goal

Each bar counts matches by the gap between the two sides at the final whistle. 50.00% of matches were won by exactly one goal, and 18.75% were drawn. Together, 68.75% of the group stage was decided by one goal or less. Only two matches, Russia 5-0 Saudi Arabia and England 6-1 Panama, were won by five.

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1-0 and 2-1 account for half of all scorelines

Each cell counts matches with that winner's score and loser's score. The two cells beside the diagonal hold the bulk: 27.08% of matches finished 1-0 and 22.92% finished 2-1. Every draw sits on the diagonal, from a single 0-0 to Portugal 3-3 Spain. Nothing above 3-3 and nothing wider than 6-1.

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Group G scored four a match, Group C one and a half

Each box holds one group's six matches by goals scored. The tournament averaged 2.54 goals a match. Group G, with Belgium and England putting eleven past Panama and Tunisia, averaged 4.00 goals a match. Group C, where France, Denmark, and Peru managed one goal or none in four of six games, averaged 1.50.

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Takeaway

The group stage was tight: a one-goal result was the norm and a rout the exception. The spread between groups was in goals, not closeness. Group G's four-goal games and Group C's goalless ones were both mostly decided by a single goal.

Limits

Forty-eight matches from one tournament's group stage. Final scores only, so nothing about shots, possession, or late goals. The first-listed side is not a home team.