Istra 1961 pull level from two goals down with a late Frederiksen penalty

Istra 1961 drew 2-2 with HNK Hajduk Split after falling two behind, creating better chances than usual while holding less of the ball than normal.

Emil Frederiksen's penalty in the 81st minute rescued a point for Istra 1961, who drew 2-2 with HNK Hajduk Split at the Stadion Aldo Drosina. The home side had been two goals behind since the 54th minute, when Michele Šego made it 2-0 for the visitors. Frederiksen had already set up their first goal before he took the penalty, so the comeback was built on his influence from start to finish.

Khalil Fayad opened the scoring in the seventh minute from a pass by Dennis Hadzikadunić, and HNK Hajduk Split had 56% of the ball across the match. That is below the 60.6% they average in away games, so they had less possession than usual on their travels. Their expected goals, a rough score for the quality of chances where a tap-in counts for far more than a shot from distance, came to 1.48. That is almost exactly their away norm of 1.49, so their attacking output was ordinary for them.

Istra 1961 had the opposite problem with the ball. They held 44%, which is close to the 44.7% they usually have at home, so that part was routine. The quality of their attempts was not. Their expected goals reached 1.58, above their home average, and also above what a typical side in this league creates in a match. Of their 12 shots, four were on target, and they converted two of the chances that counted most.

Hamza Jaganjac's equaliser came in the 66th minute, after Frederiksen had set him up. It was one of three changes Istra made at the hour, and Jaganjac was the standout player for the home side, rated 8.2 across the match. The goal reduced the deficit to one, and the penalty followed fifteen minutes later to finish the job. Istra's chances had been better than they usually are, and the goals arrived when they needed them.

Hajduk's defence was the part of the story that did not match their away record. They conceded twice, against an average of 0.9 goals allowed per away game over ten matches, so the two they gave away were well above their norm. Scoring two was close to their usual haul, since they average 1.9 away from home. Fayad was the most influential player on the visitors' side, scoring, setting up Šego and providing three key passes, and his display was the reason Hajduk looked so sharp in the first hour.

Istra's goalkeeper F. Kolić made four saves, which shows how often the home side was tested. Hajduk's keeper made just one save in the same match, so the visitors were rarely forced into the sort of defensive scramble that would have helped Istra more. For the home side, the draw keeps them seventh in the table with 12 points from ten matches, while Hajduk have 22 points from ten matches on their travels. Four goals in one game is more than the league's average of 3.1 per match, and it left both sides with exactly what they had before the kick-off: a share of the points.

Player of the matchK. Fayad1 goal · 1 assist9.0

H. Jaganjac1 goal8.2

M. Šego1 goal7.7

Š. Hrgović4 chances created7.4