Mardin 1969 had the ball, but Batman Petrolspor carried the threat

Mardin 1969 had the ball and the shots, but Batman Petrolspor had the stronger chances in a 1-1 draw.

Mardin 1969 had 54% of the ball against Batman Petrolspor, well above the 42% they usually keep at home. Yet the better chances belonged to the visitors, and the draw at the 21 Kasım Stadium reflects that more than the possession does.

Both goals arrived early in the second half. Mallik Wilks put Mardin ahead in the 49th minute, Mickael Biron levelled two minutes later, and neither side scored again. No player was sent off and no penalty was given, so the outcome came from play alone.

Mardin had 13 shots, a total that sat above their usual 10.5 per home match. Their expected goals figure, which weighs each chance by how often chances like it go in, came to 1.01 against a normal 1.24. Seven of those efforts came from outside the box, which helps explain why the extra shots did not add up to extra danger. In plain terms, Mardin got into shooting positions often but rarely into the positions that score.

Batman had less of the ball than usual, 46% against their normal 48.2%, and took 9 shots against an average 12.8. Their chances were nonetheless close to their usual level, with 1.47 expected goals against a normal 1.57. Eight of their shots came from inside the box, and four were on target, against three for Mardin.

Biron scored the equaliser from Bernardo Sousa's assist, and his four shots, two of them on target, made for a busy afternoon up front. Wilks, who scored the first goal from Nafican Yardımcı's assist, had six shots of his own. Yardımcı also broke up play five times, and Batman's goalkeeper B. Tetik made three saves to keep the visitors in the game.

Across the division's 80 matches so far, sides have averaged 2.8 goals a game, and this one produced two. Mardin scored one, below their usual 1.3 at home, and Batman scored one, below their usual two away. Batman conceded one against an away average of 1.8, so their defence kept things tighter than usual.

In the table, Mardin 1969 are fourth on 24 points and Batman Petrolspor sixth on 23, so a single point separates them. Mardin have won four of their last six. Batman have won two, drawn one and lost three of their last six.

Player of the matchM. Wilks1 goal8.2

Benny1 assist7.7

M. Biron1 goal7.5

N. Yardımcı1 assist7.2