St. Truiden made the chances and still lost to Leuven at home

St. Truiden had more of the ball and far better chances, but two first-half penalties were missed and OH Leuven won 2-1.

St. Truiden had two penalties in the first half, and neither became a goal. The record logs both as missed: I. Sebaoui in the 24th minute, then N. Mbuku in the 32nd. Mbuku made amends early in the second half, scoring in the 46th minute with F. Soelle credited for the assist, and the home side led for a short while. OH Leuven were level by the 53rd minute through R. Mirisola.

Those misses carry more weight because the chances were there in such volume. St. Truiden's expected goals figure, which weighs each shot by how often that kind of chance goes in, came to 3.63. That is more than double their home average of 1.5 this season, and 17 of their 22 shots were struck from inside the penalty area.

Across the league, a side averages 1.29 on the same measure, so this was an unusually productive afternoon in front of goal by any yardstick. Their 22 shots were also well above their home average of 14.6. Their share of the ball, 61%, sat comfortably above the 55.1% they usually keep.

OH Leuven had 39% of the ball, against a season average of 47.9%, and still managed 20 shots, well above their average of 13.3. Their expected goals figure was 1.47, below their own average of 1.95, so their chances were of lower quality than usual. Dani van den Heuvel did the rest, making six saves and earning a rating of 9.9, the highest of anyone listed for either side.

Robin Mirisola, who scored the equaliser, won 16 individual battles, more than anyone else listed in either side's line-up. OH Leuven scored twice against a season average of 1.0 and conceded once against their average of 1.6. Both their attack and their defence ran better than usual, and the scoreline reflected that.

For St. Truiden the shortfall sits on the other side of the same story. Their one goal fell short of a home average of 1.9, even though they had created far more than usual, and they conceded two against a usual 2.1. Mbuku, rated 8.3 with five shots and four on target, was the home side's most dangerous player on the numbers.

In the table, St. Truiden are 14th on 8 points, with OH Leuven 16th on 6. St. Truiden have scored 17 and conceded 19 in nine matches so far.

Player of the matchDani van den Heuvel6 saves9.9

Nathanaël Mbuku1 goal8.3

Robin Mirisola1 goal8.3

Davis Opoku2 chances created7.9