Kaio Jorge's early goal beats Atletico-MG despite less of the ball

Cruzeiro won at Atletico-MG with less of the ball, and created far more than their usual chances.

Kaio Jorge scored inside the first four minutes, with K. Arroyo supplying the assist, and that was all Cruzeiro needed. They beat Atletico-MG at Arena MRV, but the more interesting part of the night is that the side which fell behind had most of the ball.

Atletico-MG finished with 55% of possession, above their home average of 51.2%, while Cruzeiro had 45%, well short of the 54.4% they usually keep on the road. Possession is simply the share of time a side spends with the ball. It is easy to read as control, but here it pointed the other way from the scoreline. The home side also won seven corners to Cruzeiro's two, which put them near the penalty area often without giving them a goal.

Both sides took 17 shots, which is more than each usually manages, with Atletico-MG averaging 14 at home and Cruzeiro 14.8 away. The difference lay in where those shots went. Cruzeiro got six on target and scored from one of them, while Atletico-MG managed only two. Gabriel Delfim made five saves to keep the home side in the contest.

Shot quality is measured by expected goals, usually written xG, which gives each chance a value based on how often chances like it go in. By that measure Atletico-MG's chances added up to 1.70, above their home usual of 1.47, yet they scored nothing. Cruzeiro's chances came to 2.54 against a road usual of 1.43, well above what they normally create away. Across the league, a side typically rates 1.39 on the same measure, which puts Cruzeiro's figure in context.

Victor Hugo was the most productive attacker on the home side, with four key passes and four successful dribbles, a reminder that Atletico-MG did create openings. Delfim, rated 7.9 for his work in goal, was the reason the margin stayed where it was. Cruzeiro's defensive effort was spread across several players, with William Furtado and Lucas Romero both involved in plenty of duels.

Cruzeiro have won four of their last six matches, and Atletico-MG three, all of those at home. The recent form points to two sides heading in different directions, though one result is too small a sample to say much more. What it does show is how the two sides have been landing their results lately.

In the table, Cruzeiro sit third with 54 points from 32 games, and Atletico-MG are seventh on 50 from the same number of matches.

Player of the matchGabriel Delfim5 saves7.9

Alan Franco1 chance created7.5

Victor Hugo4 chances created7.5

William Furtado1 shot on target7.5