Early own goal, fewer chances, and Bragantino beat Santos 2-1

Bragantino beat Santos 2-1 while holding less of the ball and creating fewer good chances than they usually do.

Bragantino were ahead in the fourth minute, when an own goal went their way, and they finished 2-1 winners over Santos at the Estádio Cícero de Souza Marques. It was not a night when the ball favoured the home side. Santos spent most of it with possession and still came away with less.

Possession is simply the share of time a side has the ball, and Bragantino had 39% of it. That is well below what they usually keep at home, where the typical figure is 49.9%. Santos had 61%, against a usual away figure of 49.3%, so the visitors held the ball far more than is normal for them.

The better test is chances, and here Bragantino came up short of their own standard. Expected goals, or xG, is a rough measure of how good each chance was, and Bragantino's chances added up to 0.95, against an average of 1.55 at home. They took 13 shots, well under their usual 17.8, while Santos took 16, a little above their away norm of 14.6. Santos's chances were worth less than their usual 1.52, and both sides finished below the league figure of 1.38 for expected goals per team.

Bragantino scored two goals, more than the 1.3 they usually manage at home, while Santos scored one, fewer than their away average of 1.7. Philippe Coutinho scored Santos's goal, set up by Gabriel Barbosa, and his display earned a rating of 8.5, which stands out on the match sheet. Wallace Yan put Bragantino back in front just before the break, and every one of his shots was on target, which is the kind of finishing that turns a modest chance count into points.

At the other end, Bragantino conceded once, below their usual 1.3 at home, while Santos conceded twice away, where the norm is 1.0. The chances Santos created were worth less than the 1.59 that Bragantino usually concede at home, so the home defence was not stretched as far as it normally is. The visitors did most of the goal scoring damage on the chances they had, which is why the score tells a different story from the chance count.

Santos did the bulk of the passing, completing 87% of their 501 attempts, against 77% of 312 for Bragantino. Passing accuracy is the share of attempts that reach a team-mate, and it does not always lead to a shot. In this match that control did not turn into more shots on target, with Santos managing four and Bragantino five.

Santos also picked up three yellow cards to Bragantino's one, which made the afternoon untidier for the visitors. Their last six away games have brought two wins, three draws and a defeat.

Player of the matchPhilippe Coutinho1 goal8.5

Tiago Volpi3 saves7.2

Ryan Augusto4 chances created7.2

Gustavo Marques4 duels won7.2