scoreline

A scoreline is the numerical result of a sports match, showing how many points or goals each side has scored. It is usually written as a pair of numbers separated by a dash, for example 2-1, 0-0, or 4-4, with the first number representing the home team and the second the away team. In many sports, additional information notes whether the result came in regular time, extra time, or through a shootout; for instance, "2-1 after extra time" or "3-2 pens." In two-legged ties, the term may refer to the aggregate score, such as 3-2 on aggregate.

In sports reporting, the scoreline provides a concise summary of the match outcome and is often complemented by the halftime score or a brief narrative of key moments. Scorelines convey competitiveness and margins of victory and are used in headlines, statistics, and historical databases. Different sports have conventions: soccer and rugby typical scorelines use whole numbers, basketball and hockey produce higher scores, and cricket uses runs and wickets in a different format. The concept is universal across team sports, and while the term is common in British English, it is understood in many language communities as a shorthand for "final score" or "current score" of a match.