Excelsior beat Sparta Rotterdam 2-1 in the Eredivisie, despite seeing less of the ball. Sparta controlled possession with 56% and shaded the expected-goals count, but Excelsior were sharper in front of goal and took the points.
Aymen Sliti opened the scoring in the 24th minute, and Excelsior led at half-time. Sparta levelled early in the second half through Milan Zonneveld, finishing after Mitchell Van Bergen's assist, before the hosts struck again to win it. Jens Toornstra, Simon Janssen and Ágúst Orri Porsteinsson were all booked in a first half that saw three yellow cards.
The numbers show Sparta's territorial dominance: 403 accurate passes to Excelsior's 286 and an expected-goals figure of 0.97 against 0.79. Excelsior, however, had twice as many shots on target, four to two, and that efficiency in front of goal proved the difference.
