HNK Hajduk Split win 5-0 on better chances than usual

Gorica had far less of the ball and far fewer chances than they usually manage, and the gap came down to quality rather than possession.

Gorica took four shots at the Poljud, and in their away games this season they average 9.2. That gap explains much of this match before a single goal went in. HNK Hajduk Split, who sit top of the table, won by a wide margin, and the way the goals came is what makes the afternoon worth a closer look.

The goals arrived in a rush. Adam Huram opened the scoring on 22 minutes, Abdoulie Sanyang doubled the lead on 33, and Carlos Martín Domínguez made it three on 38, so three goals came in sixteen minutes. Domínguez added another straight after the restart, and Andelo Šutalo finished the scoring on 70. Hajduk's home average is 1.9 goals a game, and the league as a whole averages 3.1, so this was a heavy result even by ordinary standards.

The chances were better than usual, not simply more of them. Hajduk's expected goals, a measure of how likely each shot was to go in based on where and how it was taken, came to 2.08, against 1.49 in their home games this season. They took 13 shots, a touch under their usual 14.7, so the gain came from better opportunities rather than extra volume. Their share of the ball was 59%, close to the 60.2% they average at home, which means possession followed the normal pattern.

Gorica's side of the figures is the reverse. They had 41% of the ball, below the 45.5% they average away, and their expected goals of 0.31 sat well under the 0.81 they usually produce on the road. They conceded five, against an away average of 1.4, and only one of their four shots was on target. Put plainly, they struggled to create anything that looked like a goal.

Domínguez was the player who most shaped the match. He scored twice, set up Sanyang's opener, and earned a rating of 9.4, the best mark of anyone on the pitch for either side. Huram was close behind with a goal and an assist, and his rating of 8.6 reflects how much he kept the attack moving in the first half.

The result moves Hajduk further clear at the top, with 23 points from their 11 games, while Gorica remain 10th on seven points from the same number of matches. Their problems away from home are the clearest part of the table: this season Gorica have conceded 15 goals in 11 away matches.

Player of the matchCarlos Martín2 goals · 1 assist9.4

A. Guram1 goal · 1 assist8.6

A. Sutalo1 goal7.6

A. Sanyang1 goal7.5