Real Madrid hosted FC Sheriff at the Santiago Bernabeu in their second game of Group D of the 2021/22 UEFA Champions League season. The thirteen-time European Champions started their UCL campaign with a victory at Inter on the opening game week of the Champions League but suffered a shocking 2-1 defeat at home to first time UCL participants FC Sheriff. Everyone was already impressed by Sheriff’s opening game performance in the 2-0 win over Shakhtar Donetsk, as they now went three points clear at the top of Group D with two wins from two games.
We’ve broken down all the key stats for you to digest, including;
* shot maps
* xT (expected threat)
* pass networks
* xG timelines
* defensive duels
* average positions and much more!
We also try to answer some questions for you with the visuals;
Which Real Madrid player attempted the most number of passes? What were the passing zones for FC Sheriff?
To navigate the stats gallery simply click on the numbers to move through the pages.
At the end of the gallery, you’ll be able to download the full PDF stats report.
Carlo Ancelotti lined up Real Madrid in a 4-4-2 formation with Karim Benzema leading the line along with Eden Hazard. the midfield four consisted of Vinicius Junior on the left-wing, Federico Valverde on the right and Eduardo Camavinga and Casemiero in the centre. Thibaut Courtois started in goal behind a back four of left-back Miguel Gutierrez, centre backs Eder Militao and David Alaba and right back Nacho.
The average positions of the Madrid players show that they were in advanced and attacking positions on the pitch, with most players’ average position being inside the opposition half.
FC Sheriff were lined up in a 4-2-3-1 formation with Jasur Yakhshiboev leading the line in front of a midfield of three including Frank Castaneda, Dimitrios Kolovos and Adama Traore. Edmund Addi and Sebastien Thill were the two defensive midfielders protecting the back four which included left-back Cristiano, centre backs Gustavo Dulanto and Danilo Arboleda, and right back Fernando Costanza. Athanasiadis started in goal for them.
The average positions of the Sheriff players showed that they had to defend through most of the game. Most players’ average position was located in their own half, as all attackers were coming back to help in defence.
Real Madrid had a total xG generation of 3.62 in the match, as they recorded a total of 29 shots on goal, hitting the target 12 times, but scoring only one. Athanasiadis made eleven saves for FC Sheriff, as they had a low xG of 0.28, took four shots in the match, three on target and scored two important goals to won them the match. The visitors only had 29% possession in the match.
Karim Benzema had the highest individual xG of 1.08 in the match as he and Vinicius both took. five shots each in the match. Vinicius also completed 16 dribbles, while Alaba made 16 passes into the final third.
FC Sheriff’s shot map shows all the four shots taken by them in the match, as they scored one goal from inside the box and the other from long range.
The xT generation timeline of the match shows that the home team created almost all the threats and chances in the match, with Sheriff creating a few chances here and there. The xG timeline of the match shows the contrast between the xGs of the two teams in the match. 
Real Madrid’s pass matrix shows that they have a large number of passes to show for their 79%possession in the match. David Alaba attempted a total of 108 passes in the match for the Galacticos while receiving the ball 84 times.
Fc Sheriff’s pass matrix clearly indicates that they had very few passes in the match with only 29% possession in the match. They were able to accumulate very few total passes in the match.
The passing zones of FC Sheriff showed that they had almost all week of their few passes in their own defensive third, with very few passes and crosses completed near the opposition box.
the xT creation zones of the visitors show that they created very few opportunities in the match, with very few threats created in the opposition half, but they were able to score two goals to win the match. Sebastien Thill had the highest xT generation from passing.
Other than Thill, Dimitrios Kolovos also had decent xT creation from passing, while he also had the highest xT creation from dribbles.
Real Madrid had to face a lot of defensive duels on the left side of the entire length of the field, winning almost 50% of these duels. A lot of their players won one or two defensive duels in the match.
As mentioned earlier, there were only a few aerial duels contested in FC Sheriff’s penalty area. Adama Traore won five aerial duels in the match.
There were a few loose ball duels to be contested in the match, and Adama Traore made three loose ball recoveries for his club.
FC Sheriff have now won both their UCL Group D games to go three points clear at the top of the group. They are in a very strong position and will hope to continue winning more games and qualify for the knockout stages. Real Madrid had a disappointing game, after having all that possession and so many shots, they were unable to get a result at home. Ancelloti will hope his team bounce back stronger in the coming weeks of this UCL campaign.
If you want to download this stats report in a PDF you can do so here: