Dortmund's chances were more than double the league norm in Baku

Borussia Dortmund beat Sabah FA 2-1 in Baku, and the visitors' chances were worth far more than the home side's.

Borussia Dortmund finished with 3.73 expected goals in Baku. Expected goals, or xG, adds up the quality of each chance, so a tap-in from close range counts for far more than a shot from distance. The league average for a side in a single match is 1.72, which makes Dortmund's figure more than double the usual level. They also took 22 shots, where the league norm is 14.54 per team.

Serhou Guirassy did most of the damage. He took eight shots, half of them on target, and scored in the 10th and 53rd minutes, the second from a pass by Joey Veerman. His rating of 9.46 was the highest in the match. Sabah's Aden McCarthy scored the home side's goal in the 39th minute, set up by Tymoteusz Puchacz, and was rated 7.19.

Sabah had 45% of the ball, close to their usual 46.17% across six home matches, so possession was ordinary for them. They took 13 shots, below their home average of 17.33, but their expected goals of 1.5 sat a little above their usual 1.24. Their chances were slightly better than usual from fewer attempts. Defensively the picture was harder: Sabah usually concede 1.74 expected goals at home, and Dortmund's chances were well above that.

The goalkeepers were busy at opposite ends. S. Pokatilov made six saves for Sabah, while G. Kobel made three for Dortmund. Dortmund had nine shots on target to Sabah's four. Of Dortmund's shots, 16 came from inside the box, while Sabah had half as many there, so the visitors were regularly working their chances close to goal.

Dortmund completed 418 of their 502 passes, a success rate of around 83%, while Sabah completed 328 of 407, around 81%. Dortmund also won more than twice as many corners as their opponents, and Sabah committed fewer fouls. Sabah collected four yellow cards, including ones for Steve Solvet, Ivan Lepinjica, Aden McCarthy and Akim Zedadka, while Dortmund received none.

In the table, Sabah have won one of their three matches and sit 23rd, while Dortmund have won two and are 10th. One match cannot settle a table position, but this one showed Sabah conceding chances above their usual level while creating a little more than usual themselves. The gap between the two clubs on the table is still the clearest thing the numbers say about their form.

For now, Dortmund sit 10th and Sabah 23rd.

Player of the matchS. Guirassy2 goals9.5

J. Veerman1 assist7.7

A. McCarthy1 goal7.2

S. Pokatilov6 saves7.0