Borac created more than nine times their usual chances against KuPS

Borac Banja Luka beat KuPS in the Conference League, creating far more chances than usual while the visitors held more of the ball.

Borac Banja Luka won at home, but the more striking figure is how much they created. Expected goals, a tally of how much each shot was worth based on where it was struck from, came to 2.13 for the home side. Their recent home average is 0.23, and the league average for a side in a match is 1.29, so this was an unusual night by both measures.

The shot count points the same way. Borac had 24 shots, against a home average of four, and more than half of them came from inside the penalty area. KuPS managed 11, against an away average of 13, so the visitors were not short of attempts, only of clear ones.

Possession is where the picture changes. KuPS had 59% of the ball, where their away average is 51.3%, which is more of it than they usually keep. Borac had 41%, a little under their home norm of 43%, so the share of the ball does not explain the result on its own. The shots and the chances did.

Savić opened the scoring in the 29th minute, and Deket doubled the lead early in the second half, in the 50th, with Juricic providing the assist. Juricic had been booked in the 18th minute, and he was still on the pitch to deliver the pass that mattered most. Savić was replaced in the 78th minute. Two goals is close to Borac's usual return of 1.8 a match, so the finishing was ordinary even though the chances were not.

KuPS's goalkeeper, Johannes Kreidl, made ten saves, the most important figure on the visitors' side. Their own expected goals total was 0.62, well short of the 1.58 they average away from home, and that gap is the clearest sign of how little the visitors created. Borac's chances were, however, close to what KuPS usually concede away, an average of 2.3, so the trouble for the visitors was at the other end of the pitch.

Sebastian Herrera played the full 90 minutes and took four shots, while his passes set up chances for team-mates in the final third. He was booked in the 78th minute, but his involvement in the attacking play was the steadiest of any home player on the night. The match was won through repeated pressure in the box rather than through spells of possession.

Borac's six most recent matches brought three wins, a draw and two defeats, which places this result comfortably in the middle of their current run. KuPS's six most recent matches produced a single win.

Player of the matchJohannes Kreidl10 saves8.7

Sebastian Herrera3 chances created8.0

Stefan Savić1 goal8.0

Matej Deket1 goal7.9