Sporting's chances ran well past their norm, and a late goal sealed it

Geny Catamo's 90th-minute goal settled a match in which Sporting CP created far more than usual, while Casa Pia's goalkeeper kept the margin down.

Geny Catamo settled this in the 90th minute, the last moment of normal time, after Sporting CP had led since Pedro Lima Barros opened the scoring early on. Iván Fresneda was involved in both goals, a reminder that the play behind the finishing mattered as much as the finishing itself. For Casa Pia, who sit sixteenth in the table, it was another defeat that came late.

The chances tell a different story from the scoreline. Sporting took twenty-two shots, well above their usual of 12.6 when they play away, and above the league average of 11.9 per side. Shots alone do not show quality, so we also look at expected goals, or xG, which scores each attempt from zero to one according to how likely it was to go in. Sporting's total came to 1.94 against their away average of 1.36, so their chances were of a better standard than usual as well as more numerous.

Casa Pia shot more often than they usually do at home, with a dozen attempts against a usual 8.9, but their chances were poorer. Their xG of 0.39 sits below their home average of 0.58, which means the efforts were mostly taken from difficult positions. Only two of their shots were on target, and that is the heart of the difference between the two sides on the night.

Their goalkeeper, P. Sequeira, made nine saves, and his rating of 8.4 is the clearest sign of how much he was asked to do. The chances Casa Pia conceded were above their usual figure of 1.43 at home, so the match was not decided by a defence holding firm. It was decided by one goalkeeper standing in the way of a team that was getting into better positions than the home side was.

Possession points in the same direction. Sporting had 55% of the ball, which is below their away average of 61.7%, while Casa Pia had 45%, a little above their home average of 42.8%. Sporting therefore had less of the ball than they usually do and still produced the better chances, which is a sign that they used what possession they had more sharply than the home side managed.

Pedro Lima Barros scored the first goal and had six shots, three of them on target, while Iván Fresneda finished the match with two assists and a rating of 8.9. Each side picked up two yellow cards, with Casa Pia's David Sousa and Domingos José Gabriel Bandeira booked in the first 20 minutes and Sporting's Silas Andersen and Maximiliano Araujo also cautioned. There were no red cards, so both sides finished with the same number of players they started with.

Sporting CP are third in the table with eighteen points so far this season, while Casa Pia are sixteenth with seven points. The win moved Sporting further clear of the bottom of the table and left Casa Pia still looking for a first home win of the campaign.

Player of the matchIván Fresneda2 assists8.9

P. Sequeira9 saves8.4

Pedro Lima1 goal8.2

Geny Catamo1 goal7.8