Lens fired 19 shots at Brugge and still lost 3-0

Brugge scored twice in five minutes around half-time, and Lens's extra shots could not change the result at the Jan Breydel Stadium.

Brugge's night turned in a short stretch around the interval. Hans Vanaken scored at 45 minutes, and Joaquin Seys doubled the lead at 50, so Lens were two goals down before they had properly settled into the second half. Carlos Forbs added a third at 72 minutes, set up by Hugo Vetlesen, but by then the match had already been decided by those early minutes.

Lens had the greater volume of attempts. They took 19 shots, well above the league's usual 14.6 per side, while Brugge managed only 11, which is below that norm. Volume is not the same as quality, though. Expected goals is a rough score from 0 to 1 that measures how good each chance was, and Brugge's total of 2.54 was clearly higher than Lens's 1.95. Both figures sit above the league's usual 1.76, so the gap between the two sides lies in the chances themselves rather than in how many were taken.

Brugge also had most of the ball, 57% of it, and completed 601 of their 689 passes. Lens kept the remaining share and made 493 passes of their own. Having possession for most of the evening did not give Brugge the most shots, but it meant they were usually the side deciding when and where to attack, and they used it to create the better openings.

Lens's shots on target tell a more pointed story. They had seven, more than Brugge's five, yet Y. Sommer made six saves in the Brugge goal, and Lens's own keeper had only two to make. M. Cuisance created five chances for his team, the highest figure of any player on either side, and still none of those openings reached the net. A side can be creating well and still lose badly if its best moments do not go in.

Four yellow cards were shown in total, two to each side, and nobody was sent off. Matthieu Udol was booked for Lens in the first half and Michał Skóraś in the 80th minute, while Brugge's cautions went to Félix Lemaréchal and Hugo Vetlesen. The scoreline was therefore produced by eleven players against eleven, and the early goals were the difference.

After two matches each, both clubs have three points, one win and one defeat. Brugge have scored six and conceded six, which means their goal difference is level after two games, while Lens have scored three and conceded four. Brugge have won five of their last six matches, and Lens have taken three wins from their last six, so the result leaves Brugge with the stronger recent run.

Player of the matchJ. Seys1 goal8.3

Y. Sommer6 saves8.2

H. Vanaken1 goal8.2

Carlos Forbs1 goal7.9