## 4 Discussion
### Halves  
Comparing the players' performance between the two halves in the present study, it was observed that the entire team showed a decrease in TD, pace (distance/min), and in the number of accelerations and decelerations. Regarding positions, all players reduced their performance in terms of accelerations, decelerations, distance at speeds up to 18 km/h, and pace during the second half. Additionally, all positions except WDFs showed a decrease in TD in the second half, while midfield players (CMFs, WMFs) also reduced their sprint performance during the second half. The total distance covered decreased from 4.61 \(\pm\) 0.44 km to 4.18 \(\pm\) 0.60 km, and the relative distance per minute dropped from 98.14 \(\pm\) 9.56 m/min to 84.07 \(\pm\) 12.70 m/min, suggesting a notable reduction in running volume and intensity over time. Distances covered in lower- and moderate-intensity zones also declined significantly, particularly in Distance Zone 1 (2.42 \(\rightarrow\) 2.20 km) and Distance Zone 2 (1.40 \(\rightarrow\) 1.19 km), whereas Zones 3 and 4 did not exhibit statistically meaningful changes. Sprint-related metrics such as the number of sprints significantly decreased (24.13 \(\rightarrow\) 20.25), while reductions in the total sprint distance and maximum speed did not reach statistical significance, indicating relatively preserved sprint capacity across the halves. Within-position analyses further indicated these patterns. CMFs showed performance reductions across nearly all variables, including the total distance (5.10 \(\rightarrow\) 4.56 km),relative distance (108.36 \(\rightarrow\) 91.22 m/min), sprint count (30.75 \(\rightarrow\) 24.71), and sprint distance (0.76 \(\rightarrow\) 0.61 km), all with statistically significant declines. Similar trends were observed among CDFs, whose running output decreased significantly in Distance Zones 1 and 2, as well as in the total distance and relative intensity, though their sprint outputs remained stable. Forwards also experienced reductions in accelerative actions (65.00 \(\rightarrow\) 58.25) and submaximal running, although they maintained sprint distance and top speed across the halves. WDF and WMF exhibited declines in lower-intensity distances and relative effort, though their high-intensity metrics, including sprinting and maximum speed, remained largely unaffected.  
These findings partially align with previous research reporting that CDFs, WDFs, and CMFs covered shorter distances at moderate speeds (<19.8 km/h) in the second half [24; 26; 33; 37]. [PERSON] et al. (2020) [16] observed that in the 1-4-3-3 formation, CDFs, WDFs, and CMFs covered a shorter TD in the second half. A reduction in high-intensity distance (>19.8 km/h) has also been observed for CMFs and CDFs in the second half [24]; however, there are studies that did not observe a performance drop in the second half [26; 27; 37; 38]. [PERSON] et al. (2020) [16] noted that WDFs and FWDs reduced high-speed distance in the second half in the 1-4-3-3 formation. As for the distance at the maximum speed, it has been reported that in the 1-4-3-3 formation, only WDFs failed to maintain their performance in the second half [24]. Sprint performance maintenance has also been reported by other studies [26; 27; 33; 38]. The reduction in accelerations and decelerations in the second half observed in the present study was also reported in a previous study [37].  
From the existing literature, it is evident that several studies report a decline in running performance during the second half of matches [10; 16; 19; 24; 39; 40]. This decline may be partially explained by the onset of fatigue as the end of the match approaches [41]. Another factor that may affect performance is the match score [42]. Unfortunately, such parameters were not included in the present study, and this is acknowledged later under the study's limitations.