Platense Can't Cash In on Its Dominance as Deportivo Riestra Salvages a Draw in Vicente Lopez

Gonzalo Lencina's header in the 15th minute looked set to steer a quiet afternoon for Platense in Vicente Lopez, but Deportivo Riestra showed up at just the right moment to grab a point: 1-1 was the final score, with Alexander Diaz's goal in the 70th minute restoring the balance in a match Platense controlled from start to finish in terms of possession, though not in finishing.

The home side went ahead with a well built move down the wing: a cross from Franco Zapiola into the box, and Lencina, winning position in the middle of the area, placed the ball into the top left corner to make it 1-0. Before that there had already been warning signs from both sides: Tomas Gonzalez tried a header for Riestra and Nicolas Retamar answered for Platense, though neither shot found the target.

With the lead in hand, Platense managed possession for much of the first half without landing a second blow, and Riestra gradually stretched the game with Milton Celiz and Mariano Bracamonte creating some danger at times. The second half opened with Platense pressing on, with shots from Gonzalo Lencina and Franco Zapiola that missed the target, until the 70th minute brought the blow that turned the match around: Yonatan Goitia set up Alexander Diaz, who had just come on, with a header, and Diaz finished with his left foot from the center of the box to make it 1-1.

With the score level, Platense shuffled its bench looking to regain the lead (Guido Mainero and Augusto Lotti came on among other changes) but couldn't create a clear chance to go back ahead, and the match ended in a share of the points.

The numbers behind a dominance that wasn't enough

The stats confirm that Platense controlled the ball, though that never translated into a clear edge on the scoreboard.

It's striking that despite having nearly double the shots, Platense ended up with fewer shots on target than its rival, which partly explains why territorial dominance never became a more comfortable lead on the scoreboard. Our estimate of xG generated in the match (calculated after the fact based on shot locations) gives Platense 0.82 against 0.55 for Deportivo Riestra, a gap that backs up the home side's greater offensive weight, though not wide enough to call it a match controlled from end to end. The 21 fouls committed by the visitors, compared to just 7 for the home side, also point to the physical toll Riestra paid for having to chase the game for much of the match.

Beforehand we had projected an even contest: 31 percent odds for Platense, 28 percent for Deportivo Riestra and 41 percent for a draw, with expected goals of 0.72 for the home side and 0.68 for the visitors. The final result, a draw with a scoring balance fairly close to those numbers, ended up lining up pretty well with what we anticipated.

What the point means in the standings

The draw leaves both teams with 9 points in Group A, though with a different number of matches played: Platense has reached 8 played with 2 wins, 3 draws and 3 losses, while Deportivo Riestra has also racked up 8 matches with the same split of 2 wins, 3 draws and 3 losses. Goal difference, however, separates them by quite a bit: Platense carries a minus 4 while Riestra sits at plus 1, a detail that matters even though it hasn't moved them apart in the standings today. Neither team is straying far from mid table, in a tournament where Instituto leads with 16 points after 7 matchdays.

For Platense, the result leaves the feeling of an opportunity that slipped away after dominating much of the match; for Deportivo Riestra, a point rescued with patience and a substitution, Alexander Diaz's, that changed the complexion of the game at just the right moment.