Braga took twice their usual shots and beat Gent 2-0

Braga beat Gent in the Europa Conference League, creating far more chances than they usually do while the visitors managed well below their normal threat on the road.

Victor Gómez put Braga ahead in the third minute, and the rest of the evening was largely about what the home side did with the chances that followed. Braga took 19 shots, more than double the 9 they average at home over their last five matches. Seven of those were inside the penalty area and twelve came from further out, so the total was made up of attempts from both close range and distance.

Expected goals is a way of weighing those attempts, giving each shot a value for how likely it was to go in. Braga's total came to 1.83, against a home average of 0.54, which means their chances were both more numerous and of better quality than usual. For a side that does not often create much at home, that is a clear change.

Gent were not short of the ball. They had 47% possession, above the 40.6% they average away from home, so they kept the ball better than usual. What they lacked was a threat with it. Their expected goals stood well below their away average of 2.05, and the attack created far less than it normally does on the road.

Davy Roef made six saves, the most work any goalkeeper had to do in the match, and his performance is the clearest sign of how often Gent were tested. Braga's own keeper had only one save to make. Victor Gómez also had a hand in the second goal, setting up Gabriel Martínez late in the game.

Gent conceded twice, against the 0.6 they average away from home, which is unusual for them. Their last six away matches had brought five wins and a draw, with no defeats. Braga, meanwhile, had won only one of their last six at home, and the chances Gent created were well short of the 1.03 that Braga usually allow.

Braga had started the group with a 3-0 defeat, while Gent had opened with a 1-0 win. Both sides were therefore looking for a result that would change the early picture, and this one did that for the home side. It also means Gent lost a match they had carried into with momentum from their previous away run.

Braga now have three points after two matches, the same total as Gent, who had won their opener. Gent had not lost a game in their previous six away matches before this one, and Braga's first win in the group has pulled them level with them.

Player of the matchVictor Gómez1 goal · 1 assist8.3

Davy Roef6 saves8.3

Pau Víctor1 chance created7.5

Gabriel Martínez1 goal7.5