Náutico beat Ceará 1-0 at home in the Brasileiro Série B, with Léo Índio's goal on the stroke of half-time settling a match the hosts controlled. They edged possession 51 per cent to 49 and dominated the shot count.
The only goal arrived in first-half stoppage time, Jean Carlos providing the assist for Léo Índio to make it 1-0. Ceará did create two big chances after the break, but they could not force an equaliser; five yellow cards in the final 11 minutes reflected a scrappy, stop-start finish.
The underlying numbers were stark: Náutico finished with 30 shots to Ceará's 13, 14 on target and an expected-goals total of 2.64. They needed just one of them, largely because Ceará's goalkeeper made 12 saves to keep the scoreline down to a single goal.
