Football in Denmark is back! The Danish Superliga returned to action at the weekend and did not fail to entertain.

In the first of a weekly series, The Playbook has used our Second Spectrum tracking technology to dig out the most interesting numbers, performances and trends from matchday one.

1.9

2022/23 Young Player of the Year Ernest Nuamah didn’t take any time to ease into this new season. He scored a sensational hat-trick for Nordsjaelland in their 4-1 home win over Viborg – the first of his senior career. It’s no surprise we highlighted Nuamah as one of the most talented players in the Superliga.

His third and final goal was particularly special.

His three goals yielded an xG of just 1.1, making his 1.9 goals over expectation the highest of any player from matchday one. The final goal accounted for just 0.07 of his total xG. Rocket.

95th

Almost all the numbers in the game between Odense and Randers indicate that Hugo Andersson’s 95th-minute equaliser for Randers, which saw the game end 2-2, was a classic smash-and-grab from the visiting side.

Odense had more shots (18 to 11), completed more entries into the penalty area (21 to 18), and more than doubled Randers’ output for expected goals (2.5 to 0.9 xG).

7

No player from matchday one of the Superliga completed more line-breaking passes than Odense’s Alassana Manneh (7).

He was integral in midfield, driving Odense forward in a game that ebbed and flowed. His distribution from a deep double-pivot position was one of Odense’s most important creative outlets. Manneh also completed 10 progressive passes and 25 passes under pressure.

0.05

Mads Søndergaard’s opening strike for Viborg was the goal with the lowest expected goals (xG) of any goal scored across matchday one in the Superliga. His effort from outside the box reached as xG of just 0.05.

26.3

While Søndergaard’s goal reached a velocity of 25.1 meters per second, it was not the fastest strike of the Superliga’s opening matchday. That title belongs to Tonni Adamsen, whose goal to open the scoring for Silkeborg reached a 26.3 m/s in velocity. The goalkeeper stood no chance.

14

Andreas Cornelius, FC Copenhagen’s no. 14, had an impressive showing in their 2-1 win over Lyngby.

He completed the second-most successful hold-ups of any player (3), and won the second-most aerial duels of any player (10). He also had 23 touches in the final third, ranking him in the top 10% of all Superliga players from matchday one.

His central presence offers something different for Copenhagen, acting as a focal point for others to join attacks. Could we see a slight alteration of their attacking style this season?

The Playbook is powered by Genius Sports. Data sourced by Genius Sports’ Second Spectrum tracking technology.