Gremio win 2-0 from 31% of the ball, Atletico left with nothing

Gremio beat Atletico Paranaense 2-0 while having less than a third of the possession, and the visitors' large share of the ball did not reach the scoreboard.

Gremio won 2-0 at home having had 31% of the ball, and that is the number that makes this game worth telling. Atletico Paranaense kept 69%, a long way above the 49.1% they usually hold away from home. Gremio, who normally have 48.4% at the Arena, were pushed far below that level, so the match turned on what each side did with what it was given.

Marlon opened the scoring in the 39th minute, and Fabian Balbuena doubled the lead in the 52nd. Gremio have scored an average of 1 goal per home game this season, so two in this one is a clear step above their own norm. The goals came from chances that were good rather than lucky, and the figures bear that out.

Expected goals, a measure that adds up how good each shot was, gives Gremio 1.31 for the afternoon, above their home average of 1.19. Atletico's 1.08 is also a little above their away average of 0.95, so neither side created less than usual. The gap is in the finishing: Atletico had 14 shots, 8 of them from inside the box, and came away without a goal, against an away average of 1.8 scored.

Weverton was the reason Gremio kept a clean sheet, making four saves in goal, and his rating of 8.2 is the highest on either side. Gremio usually concede 1.4 goals at home, so keeping Atletico out was a clear reversal of the norm. For the visitors, Lucas Esquivel won eight of his duels, the most of any player on the pitch, while Luiz Gustavo created three chances and rated 7.9.

Atletico made 495 passes and completed 90% of them, while Gremio made 220 and completed 74%. Passing numbers show who had the ball and how cleanly they kept it, not who did something dangerous with it. This was a match where the side with the ball had the least to show for it.

Seven yellow cards were shown, four of them to Gremio, and nobody was sent off. Both sides also put on a fresh set of players late on, with Atletico making their final change at 89 minutes and Gremio at 87. Neither change altered the scoreline, which stood at 2-0 from the 52nd minute onwards.

The result leaves Atletico fourth in the table on 54 points from 32 games, with 15 wins. Gremio are 17th on 34 points, having won 8 of their 32 and scored 35 goals while conceding 44. Gremio's three points move them a step up the table, and Atletico's defeat keeps them on the same total they held before kick-off.

Player of the matchWeverton4 saves8.2

Fabián Balbuena1 goal7.9

Marlon1 goal7.9

Luiz Gustavo3 chances created7.9