Hajduk won at Osijek with less ball and fewer chances

A late Carlos Martín Domínguez goal settled a win in which Hajduk had less of the ball and fewer chances than usual.

Hajduk Split won at Osijek with less of the ball and fewer clear chances than they usually have, and the winner came late. Carlos Martín Domínguez scored in the 89th minute after an assist from Khalil Fayad, and the visitors left the Opus Arena with the points. Their expected goals, a measure of how good each shot was judged to be before it was struck, came to 0.9, well below the 1.54 they average when playing away.

Hajduk had 55% of the ball, below the 60.1% they average on their travels. They took 11 shots, four of them on target, so the shooting was not wasted but the openings were fewer than normal. A goal in the closing minutes changed a quiet afternoon into a win, and that is the story of their result.

Osijek had 45% of the ball, which is short of the 54.4% they usually keep at home. They managed ten shots, three of them on target, and their expected goals of 0.63 compared with an average of 1.36 at home. They scored nothing, where they normally score 1.9 a game, and M. Malenica had to make three saves to keep the score where it was for so long.

Early on, Luka Jelenic was shown a red card in the 17th minute, but a video check cancelled it and he was booked three minutes later instead. Video assistant referees review decisions on screen, and this one kept both sides at eleven for the whole match. Neither team lost a player to a dismissal, so the result rests on football rather than on numbers down to ten.

Osijek usually concede 1.23 expected goals a match, and Hajduk's chances came in under that figure. Hajduk normally give up 0.82, and they faced fewer chances than that as well. Both sides also took fewer shots than the league average of 12.4 per team, which tells us this was a low-scoring contest where neither attack found its usual rhythm.

Khalil Fayad was the Hajduk player who did most of the work at both ends, winning 12 individual duels and setting up the goal, and he earned a rating of 7.7 for it. Ivano Kolarik won five individual duels for Osijek and was among their steadiest players. Both sides had chances, but Fayad's effort in winning the ball back made the difference on the night.

Hajduk have 26 points and sit top of the table, while Osijek are third with 20. Hajduk have won four of their last six away matches, and Osijek have won two of their last six at home.

Player of the matchK. Fayad1 assist7.7

D. Marešić5 duels won7.5

Carlos Martín1 goal7.5

Ivano Kolarik1 chance created7.4