Montreal had more of the ball but fewer chances in Charlotte defeat

Liel Abada scored three times as Charlotte beat CF Montreal at home, while Montreal's share of possession ran above its usual level without producing chances.

Idan Toklomati Jorno put Charlotte ahead inside seven minutes, and from then on the night belonged to Liel Abada. He scored three times, at 67, 79 and 83 minutes, and his rating of 9.2 was the highest on either side. The more telling story, though, is what happened to the team that had more of the ball.

CF Montreal had 53% of possession. That is above the 46.5% they average on the road, so they kept the ball more often than usual and still struggled to turn it into anything. Their 10 shots were close to their own away average of 10.8, yet the division's average is 13.4 shots a side, which puts them below the norm. Only one of those shots was on target.

Expected goals, or xG, scores each shot by how likely it was to go in, so a side with more xG has created the better openings. Charlotte's chances were worth 2.11, comfortably above their home average of 1.43. Montreal's came to 0.45, well short of the 0.84 they usually manage away, so their attacking was below its normal quality even with the ball.

Charlotte scored four from those chances, more than the two-odd goals their openings suggested and well above their usual 1.8 at home. The defensive picture matters too. Charlotte's home side normally concedes 2.16 xG a match, and Montreal's chances were worth only a fraction of that, so the home back line gave very little away.

Abada's goals were set up by Jorno at 79 minutes and by Pep Biel at 83 minutes, which means the last two of his three came from Charlotte's build-up rather than individual brilliance alone. Montreal were booked three times, with Efrain Morales, Daniel Pereira and Fabian Herbers all cautioned, but nobody was sent off. Charlotte received no cards at all.

Montreal's goalkeeper made three saves to Charlotte's one, which reflects how often Montreal's defence was tested. Montreal scored nothing, against an away average of 0.8 goals a match, and they conceded four, well above the 2.2 they usually give up on the road. Those figures describe a side that was under pressure for long periods even while it was keeping the ball.

Montreal had lost five of their last six matches before this one.

Player of the matchL. Abada3 goals9.2

I. Toklomati Giorno1 goal · 1 assist8.8

Pep Biel1 assist7.7

A. Saint-Maximin1 assist7.7