Racing's 23 shots finally produced a winner in the 84th minute

Racing Santander beat Espanyol 2-1 at El Sardinero after trailing from the 62nd minute, with the winner coming late on.

Yassir Zabiri scored in the 84th minute, set up by Alvaro Mantilla, and Racing Santander beat Espanyol 2-1 at El Sardinero. It was a win earned from behind. Eduardo Expósito Jaén had given Espanyol the lead in the 62nd minute, and Jeanuël Belocian levelled seven minutes later from a pass by Sergio Canales. Racing had the greater share of the chances for most of the afternoon, and the late goal rewarded that.

The volume of Racing's attacking was far beyond anything they usually manage at home. They took 23 shots, against a home average of 11.3, and the league average is 13.3 per side per match. Only nine of those were on target, and 18 came from inside the box, which is where the most dangerous chances are taken. They also had 55% of the ball, a little above their usual share of 49.8%.

Expected goals is a rough measure of how good each chance was, based on where it was taken from and how it was struck. By that measure Racing's chances were worth more than usual, with a total well above their home average of 1.23 and the league average of 1.36 per side. Espanyol's chances added up to 0.53, which is below their away average of 0.9. In other words, Espanyol created little, and what they did create was enough to lead for a while.

Espanyol's best moment in the first half was taken away by the video referee. A penalty for Espanyol involving Álex Calatrava Torrado was cancelled after VAR review in the 39th minute. Their goalkeeper, Ángel Fortuño, made seven saves to keep the score down, and Expósito's only shot of the match was on target and went in, which is a useful reminder that one good moment can settle a game when the chances are few.

Espanyol had 45% of the ball, almost exactly their away average of 45.1%, so possession was ordinary for them. They also took 11 shots, close to their usual 11.9 away from home. The concern for the visitors is at the other end: they conceded two against an away average of 1.3, which means they let in more than they usually do, while scoring one against an average of 1.2.

Racing's defensive numbers were better than their own norm. They conceded one goal, well below their home average of 2.4, and they scored two against an average of 1.4. The match total of three goals was close to the league average of 3.1 per game, so the scoreline itself was ordinary even though the shape of the chances was not. Belocian's goal and Zabiri's winner both came after Racing had changed their side in the late stages, and both were the result of crosses and passes from the bench.

Racing sit 17th in the table with two wins from nine, and their home record stands at two wins, two draws and five defeats, with 25 goals conceded. Espanyol are 16th on eight points, with 11 scored and 12 conceded in their nine away games.

Player of the matchEdu Expósito1 goal8.2

M. Zabiri1 goal8.1

J. Belocian1 goal7.8

Sergio Canales1 assist7.5