Tolisso's equaliser came on fewer chances than Lyon usually make

Real Sociedad 1-1 Lyon: Orri Steinn Óskarsson put the hosts ahead before half-time, and Corentin Tolisso's strike after the break earned Lyon a point.

Lyon finished the night with less threat than they usually bring away from home, yet they still left Anoeta with a point. Expected goals, or xG, is a way of valuing chances by how likely each one was to go in, and Lyon's total of 0.94 sits below their away average of 1.22. Their route to a share of the points ran through one efficient moment rather than a flood of openings.

Real Sociedad went ahead in the 28th minute when Orri Steinn Óskarsson scored, with Ander Barrenetxea providing the final pass. That goal came from an attack that was close to ordinary for the hosts, whose 1.41 expected goals was barely above their home average of 1.37. In other words, the lead was built in the usual way, not through a surge of quality chances.

The ball was where Lyon wanted it more often than Sociedad would have liked. The home side had 47% possession, well short of the 55.7% they normally keep at Anoeta, while the visitors held 53%, a little above their away norm of 49.7%. Lyon completed 438 of their 509 passes, which tells us they were patient in possession even if they were not creating a great deal with it.

Lyon's shooting was busier than usual. They took 12 shots, more than their away average of 10.3, and four of them were on target. Tolisso accounted for four of those attempts and hit the target three times, which is why one player's finishing mattered so much to the result. Sociedad were slightly under their own shot count, taking 11 against a home average of 12, and only six of those came from inside the box.

Nobody was sent off, so the match stayed eleven against eleven throughout. Both sides picked up cards, with Sociedad receiving three and Lyon four, and several of the bookings came in the closing 15 minutes as tempers rose. Sociedad's goalkeeper Unai Marrero made three saves, the same number as Lyon's keeper, so neither side's last line was seriously tested beyond that.

Sociedad now sit 14th in the table with four points from three matches, while Lyon are 13th with six from their three. The draw means Sociedad have taken one point from a game in which they led, and Lyon have added a point to a campaign that started with two wins on the road.

Player of the matchO. Óskarsson1 goal8.0

C. Tolisso1 goal7.9

T. Tessmann1 assist7.7

J. Ochieng3 duels won7.1