Nmecha's two goals, and an Elversberg side with more of the ball

Borussia Dortmund beat SV Elversberg at Signal Iduna Park with two goals from Felix Nmecha, while the visitors had more of the ball than they usually do.

Felix Nmecha scored both Borussia Dortmund goals, the first in the 55th minute from a Fábio Silva pass and the second in the 71st after a Maximilian Beier assist. He also had six shots, which shows how much of the attack ran through him. Dortmund usually score 1.8 goals a match, so two was only a little above their normal return, but the finishing came from one player.

Noel Futkeu pulled one back for Elversberg in the 81st minute, finishing from a Florian Le Joncour pass. Before that, though, the visitors had something more unusual to show. They had 49% of the ball, against a usual 45.5%. Possession is simply the share of time each side spends with the ball, so Elversberg held more of it than they normally do, even while trailing.

Dortmund had the ball for 51%, below their usual 54.5%, yet they still took 19 shots against an average of 15.1. Elversberg took 16, compared with 10.6 in a normal match, and ten of those came from outside the penalty area. Shots from distance are harder to score from, so the volume of attempts tells only part of the story.

Expected goals, or xG, adds up how likely each shot was to go in, based on where it was taken from and how it was struck. Dortmund finished on 1.49, a touch above their usual 1.43 but below the league average of 1.6 per side across 73 matches. Elversberg reached 1.21, close to their usual 1.17. In other words, the extra shots Elversberg produced were not better chances than their normal ones.

Elversberg put seven shots on target, one more than Dortmund's six, yet they scored once when they usually score two. The Dortmund goalkeeper made six saves and the Elversberg keeper made four. Across the league's matches the average is 3.5 goals per game, and this one had three, below that mark. Elversberg conceded two, which is exactly what they usually concede.

Dortmund sit second in the table with 18 points from eight matches, and their last six league games brought three wins, two draws and a defeat. Elversberg are seventh with 13 points, and their last six brought two wins, a draw and three defeats. Dortmund have won five of their home matches this season and lost none, while Elversberg's away record stands at four wins, one draw and three defeats.

Player of the matchF. Nmecha2 goals9.3

G. Kobel6 saves7.6

N. Futkeu1 goal7.3

J. Veerman2 chances created7.3