Analysis The numbers behind the result
Velez edge xG battle but River Plate rue missed chances
The 2-2 draw slightly flattered River Plate, with Velez Sarsfield posting a higher xG (0.76 vs 0.53) despite having 43% possession. River's early dominance — Angel Correa's 11th-minute opener assisted by Lucas Martinez Quarta and Thiago Silvero's 43rd-minute own goal — masked their wastefulness, managing just 3 shots on target from 12 attempts. Velez were more clinical, converting 2 of their 4 shots on target.
Velez's comeback was built on superior shot selection — 8 of their 11 attempts came inside the box versus River's 6. Manuel Lanzini's 79th-minute equaliser, assisted by Elias Gomez, capped a second-half resurgence after Diego Valdes' 61st-minute strike halved the deficit. River's 57% possession yielded only 3 corners and a disappointing 84% pass accuracy in the final third.
The decisive stat: Velez's 0.23 xG per shot dwarfed River's 0.044, exposing the hosts' inability to create high-quality chances despite territorial advantage.