Sao Paulo had more ball than usual, Mirassol the better shots

Mirassol and Sao Paulo shared the points in Série A, with the visitors keeping more of the ball while the home side fired more shots than they usually do.

An own goal from Rafael in the seventh minute opened the scoring, and the match was level by the 39th minute, when Pedro Lima finished a move assisted by Damian Bobadilla. After that, neither side pulled clear, and the final scoreline fits two teams that made roughly similar amounts of progress up the pitch.

Mirassol's headline figure is volume. They took 18 shots, well above their usual 12.7 at home and above the Série A average of 15.1 per team, and 15 of those came from inside the box, where most goals are scored. Shots alone flatter a side, so we also look at expected goals, a figure that gives each chance a value based on how often chances like it go in. Mirassol's 1.32 was close to their usual 1.29, which means the extra shots were not much better than the ones they normally take.

Sao Paulo's story is the reverse. They had 55% of the ball, against an away average of 50.5%, and completed 438 of their 497 passes, a tidy 88% that gave them control of possession. Yet they took only 13 shots, below their usual 15.6 on the road, and their expected goals of 1.12 sat under their away norm of 1.36. The visitors held the ball more often and created less from it.

Walter was the busier of the two goalkeepers in the home side's colours, making two saves, while Mirassol's outfield players had more of the physical battles. Igor Formiga won eight duels, the most of anyone on the pitch, and that kind of contest in midfield helps explain why the home side pushed their way into so many dangerous positions. Pedro Lima was the visitors' most productive player, scoring his goal and earning a rating of 7.8, the best on either side.

Discipline did not change the shape of the game. Both sides had three or fewer yellow cards, no one was sent off, and both finished with eleven players on the pitch, so the tactics and the chances are the whole story. Mirassol also took seven corners, the same number as Sao Paulo, which suggests neither side had the territorial edge the shot count might imply.

The recent form adds some context. Mirassol have won three of their last six home matches, with one defeat and two draws, while Sao Paulo have lost four of their last six away games and won only two. That makes the visitors' point here more useful than it might otherwise look.

Mirassol are 14th in the table with 36 points from 31 matches, while Sao Paulo are ninth with 42 points from the same number of games.

Player of the matchPedro Lima1 goal7.8

Reinaldo4 chances created7.3

Willian Machado1 chance created7.1

Luciano2 chances created7.1