Briasco scores twice as Barracas Central downs Huracán 2-0

Norberto Briasco played the hero at the Claudio "Chiqui" Tapia stadium, scoring both goals as Barracas Central beat Huracán 2-0, a result that stings the "Globo" far more than it helps the home side in the Group B standings of Argentina's Primera División.

The match started with Barracas going straight on the attack. Just 8 minutes in, Kevin Jappert set up Briasco, who finished with his right foot from the center of the box to make it 1-0. Huracán had a few isolated chances, a header from Facundo Kalinger that drifted wide, a shot from Jordy Caicedo that grazed the post on a counterattack, but couldn't seriously trouble the home goal before halftime, which arrived with Barracas clinging to the slim lead.

In the second half, Huracán pushed harder with the ball, as reflected in its possession and passing numbers, but it was Barracas who struck first again. In the 61st minute, after a blocked shot from Nicolás Orsini, Briasco popped up once more, this time curling a finish into the top left corner from the right side of the box to complete his brace and make it 2-0.

Huracán tried to respond with substitutions, bringing on Thaiel Peralta, Ignacio Pussetto, Bruno Barticciotto and Leonardo Gil among others, and pushed forward hard in the closing stages looking to pull one back, but kept running into Barracas's back line. The match ended with a flurry of corners for the "Globo" in stoppage time, none of which produced a goal.

What the numbers say

Huracán controlled the ball and completed more passes, but Barracas made the most of what little it had. Here's how the statistics broke down:

The post-match xG calculated from the shots taken also backs up the scoreline: 1.405 for Barracas Central against 0.41 for Huracán. In other words, the home side didn't just convert, it also created the more dangerous chances despite seeing less of the ball.

The result runs counter to what we projected before kickoff: our preview gave Barracas Central just a 30% chance of winning, against a 37% chance of a draw and 33% for Huracán, with tightly matched expected goals (0.84 for the home side and 0.89 for the visitors, 1.74 combined). What happened on the field was far more decisive than those numbers suggested: Barracas won clearly and never let the scoreline come under threat.

What it means in the standings

With this result, Barracas Central stays in eighth place in the group, while Huracán, which came in sitting fifth, now sees the gap to the home side shrink to just 1 point. Neither team managed to pull away from the tightly packed midtable, but the afternoon will be remembered for Briasco's inspired night, as he settled the match practically on his own.