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. 2023 Jan 1;55(1):80-92.
doi: 10.1249/MSS.0000000000003021. Epub 2022 Aug 12.

Extended Match Time Exacerbates Fatigue and Impacts Physiological Responses in Male Soccer Players

Magni Mohr, Georgios Ermidis  1 , Athanasios Z Jamurtas  2 , Jeppe F Vigh-Larsen, Athanasios Poulios  2 , Dimitrios Draganidis  2 , Konstantinos Papanikolaou  2 , Panagiotis Tsimeas  2 , Dimitrios Batsilas  2 , Georgios Loules  2 , Alexios Batrakoulis  2 , Apostolos Sovatzidis  3 , Jakob L Nielsen  1 , Theofanis Tzatzakis  2 , Charikleia K Deli  2 , Lars Nybo  4 , Peter Krustrup, Ioannis G Fatouros  2
Affiliations

Extended Match Time Exacerbates Fatigue and Impacts Physiological Responses in Male Soccer Players

Magni Mohr et al. Med Sci Sports Exerc. .

Abstract

Purpose: This study evaluated how extended match time (90 + 30 min) affected physiological responses and fatigue in male soccer players.

Methods: Twenty competitive players (mean ± SD: age, 20 ± 1 yr; maximal oxygen uptake, 59 ± 4 mL·min -1 ·kg -1 ) completed an experimental match with their activity pattern and heart rate assessed throughout the game, whereas countermovement jump performance and repeated sprint ability were tested and quadriceps muscle biopsies and venous blood samples were taken at baseline and after 90 and 120 min of match play.

Results: Less high-intensity running (12%) was performed in extra time in association with fewer intense accelerations and decelerations per minute compared with normal time. Peak sprint speed was 11% lower in extra time compared with normal time, and fatigue also manifested in impaired postmatch repeated sprint ability and countermovement jump performance (all P < 0.05). Muscle glycogen declined from 373 ± 59 mmol·kg -1 dry weight (dw) at baseline to 266 ± 64 mmol·kg -1 dw after 90 min, with a further decline to 186 ± 56 mmol·kg -1 dw after extra time ( P < 0.05) and with single-fiber analyses revealing depleted or very low glycogen levels in ~75% of both slow and fast twitch fibers. Blood glucose did not change during the first 90-min but declined ( P < 0.05) to 81 ± 8 mg·dL -1 after extra time. Plasma glycerol and ammonia peaked at 236 ± 33 mg·dL -1 and 75 ± 21 μmol·L -1 after the extra period.

Conclusions: These findings demonstrate exacerbated fatigue after extra time compared with normal time, which seems to be associated with muscle glycogen depletion, reductions in blood glucose levels, and hyperammonemia. Together, this points to metabolic disturbances being a major part of the integrated and multifaceted fatigue response during extended soccer match play.

Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04159194.

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Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
Experimental design of the study.
FIGURE 2
FIGURE 2
CONSORT flow diagram of the study.
FIGURE 3
FIGURE 3
RSA expressed as a fatigue index (A), CMJ performance (B), peak isometric force development in the dominate (C) and non-dominate (D) knee extensors, as well as dominate (E) and non-dominate (F) knee flexors during the 120-min game protocol (n = 30). * indicates significant difference to baseline; # indicates significant difference compared with 90 min.
FIGURE 4
FIGURE 4
Blood glucose (n = 30; A), plasma glycerol (n = 30; B), plasma ammonia (n = 30; C), blood lactate (n = 30; D), and muscle lactate (n = 25; E) concentrations at baseline, after normal time (90 min), and after extra time (120 min). * indicates significant difference compared with baseline; # indicates significant difference compared with 90 min.
FIGURE 5
FIGURE 5
Muscle glycogen concentration at whole-muscle level (n = 19; A), muscle glycogen degradation rate (n = 19; B), and fiber-type–specific glycogen depletion pattern (n = 11; C) during the 120-min game protocol. * indicates significant difference compared with baseline; # indicates significant difference compared with 90 min.
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References

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