Rayo held 69% of the ball, but Getafe still took a point

Rayo's chances ran far above their away norm at the Coliseum Alfonso Pérez, but a red card for Getafe did not stop the home side sharing the spoils.

Rayo Vallecano had 69% of the ball at the Coliseum Alfonso Pérez, well beyond their away average of 48.75%. Possession only tells us who kept the ball, though, not what they did with it, so the more useful question is what Rayo made of their time on it. The answer is shots: they took 21, against a usual away count that sits just above 11.

Expected goals, usually shortened to xG, scores each shot by how likely it was to go in, based on where it was taken from and how it was struck. Rayo's total was 2.22, far above their away average of 0.89 and well over the 1.27 that a typical side in this league creates per match. Only eight of those shots came from inside the box, so a good share were struck from distance.

Getafe's Dakonam Ortega Djené was sent off in the 28th minute, and the home side finished the match with ten men. Their own chances were close to normal: 0.64 xG, against a home average of 0.56, and 11 shots against a usual 10.5. Martin Satriano scored in the 56th minute from a pass by Francho Serrano Gracia, and his rating of 8.2 reflects a sharp afternoon with four shots.

Rayo had the first goal, scored by Álvaro García in the 11th minute after Jorge De Frutos set him up. That was already a sign of the gap between chances and goals, because Rayo's away average is 1.38 goals a game and they managed one. Their chances were far above normal, yet the finishing lagged behind, and García's rating of 7.9 reflects his part in the opening goal.

Getafe's own possession was 31%, below their home average of 37.5%, which fits a side that spent long periods defending without the ball. Rayo's chances of 2.22 also sat above the 1.61 that Getafe usually concede at home, so the visitors created more than the home side typically allows. Getafe's goal tally of one was above their home average of 0.5, which means the scoring side of the equation was the better one for the hosts.

Only two goals came in a match that averages 3.06 goals in this league, so the game was lighter on goals than the division usually is. Getafe's last six results are one win, three draws and two defeats, while Rayo's are two wins, two draws and two defeats. Both sides had won a game recently, and neither had built momentum that could carry the other.

Getafe are 14th in the table with nine points from nine games, and Rayo are 13th with nine points from eight. A point apiece keeps the two sides level on points, but Rayo's 2.22 chances and one goal leave them with a bigger question about finishing than the one Getafe face about shape.

Player of the matchM. Satriano1 goal8.2

Álvaro García1 goal7.9

Óscar Valentín1 chance created7.6

E. Audero3 saves7.4