## 3 Results
A similar pattern was observed for decelerations, which decreased significantly in the second half (first half: 102.63 \(\pm\) 13.78; second half: 92.50 \(\pm\) 19.85; t = 2.51, \(p\) = 0.019). Distance Zone 1, Zone 2, Zone 3, and Zone 4 showed statistically significant declines (\(p\)\(\leq\) 0.045), suggesting a widespread drop in intensity-specific running output. Furthermore, the CMF covered a significantly shorter  
Figure 6: An intra-positional comparison of speed metrics between the match halves. Note: The boxplots (**A**–**E**) depict the distribution of speed metrics between halves, highlighting within-position differences in physical performance during the match. total distance in the second half (\(Z=-3.643\), \(p=0.001\)) and had reduced relative distance per minute (\(Z=-4.114\), \(p=0.001\)). Key performance metrics such as the number of sprints (\(p=0.005\)) and the total sprint distance (\(p=0.012\)) also declined. However, the maximum speed did not significantly differ between the halves (\(p=0.710\)). In Wide Midfielders (WMFs), within-position comparisons revealed statistically significant reductions in both accelerations (first half: 80.93 \(\pm\) 26.13; second half: 67.47 \(\pm\) 32.12; t = 2.526, \(p=0.024\)) and decelerations (first half: 77.87 \(\pm\) 22.41; second half: 64.00 \(\pm\) 27.94; t = 3.206, \(p=0.006\)). The Wilcoxon signed-rank tests also indicated significant reductions in lower and moderate intensity distance zones. Specifically, Distance Zone 1 and Distance Zone 2 were significantly reduced in the second half (\(p=0.001\) and \(p=0.002\), respectively), whereas no changes were observed in Distance Zones 3 and 4. The total distance covered (\(Z=-3.408\), \(p=0.001\)) and relative distance per minute (\(Z=-3.408\), \(p=0.001\)) also showed significant reductions. Although the number of sprints did not significantly differ across the halves (\(p=0.058\)), the total sprint distance was significantly reduced (\(Z=-2.216\), \(p=0.027\)), indicating a decrease in the volume rather than the frequency of sprinting. The maximum speed remained unchanged (\(p=0.363\)), indicating that peak sprinting capacity was preserved despite reductions in accumulated physical demands. Lastly, in Forwards (FWDs), a significant decline in the number of accelerations during the second half compared to the first was observed (first half: 65.00 \(\pm\) 6.55; second half: 58.25 \(\pm\) 10.51; t = 2.85, \(p=0.025\)). Similarly, decelerations were also significantly reduced in the second half relative to the first half (first half: 64.50 \(\pm\) 14.04; second half: 54.25 \(\pm\) 7.17; t = 2.59, \(p=0.036\)). A significant reduction in Distance Zone 1 (\(Z=-2.524\), \(p=0.012\)) and Distance Zone 2 (\(Z=-2.521\), \(p=0.012\)) across the halves, was also indicated. However, no significant differences were observed in Distance Zones 3 and 4 (\(p>0.05\)), indicating a stability in higher-speed outputs. Moreover, the total distance covered (\(Z=-2.521\), \(p=0.012\)) and the relative distance per minute (\(Z=-2.521\), \(p=0.012\)) significantly decreased in the second half. While a trend toward reduction was observed in the sprint count (\(p=0.061\)), sprint total distance (\(p=0.176\)), and maximum speed (\(p=0.161\)), these differences did not reach statistical significance. These findings may indicate that FWD experienced a notable decline in moderate-intensity efforts and overall distance metrics as the match progressed, whereas their high-speed and sprint-related outputs remained unaffected.