Furth Own 65% of the Ball, Lose 0-1 on 0.55 xG

Greuther Furth had the ball. Heidenheim had the only goal. Round 4 of 2. Bundesliga finished 0-1 after Budu Zivzivadze scored in the 12th minute. Furth closed on 65% possession, 13 shots and 0.55 expected goals. Heidenheim posted 35% of the ball, six shots and 0.87 xG.

Key Numbers

Shots on target were 5-5. Big chances were 1-2 in Heidenheim's favor. Corners finished 7-2 to Furth. Pass volume told the territorial story: Furth completed 84% of 465 passes (392); Heidenheim completed 72% of 244 (175). Furth took 13 shots to produce 0.55 xG.

The only goal came from Zivzivadze, assisted by Mathieu Costly, in the 12th minute. Furth collected one yellow (Keresztes, 66). Heidenheim finished with a clean disciplinary sheet and a clean scoresheet behind them.

Tactical Reading

Both sides lined up in 4-4-2. Hansa Vogel's Furth tried to play through midfield and around the sides; Frank Schmidt's Heidenheim sat in a lower block and waited for the first transition. That first transition arrived early. Costly found Zivzivadze, and the rest of the afternoon became a siege without a cutting edge.

Furth's five shots on target from 13 attempts sound respectable until the xG is attached. Five on target and 0.55 xG means the attempts arrived from poor locations. Seven corners produced no goal. Heidenheim needed only six shots and two big chances to leave with three points.

The home bench emptied after the hour: Sillah and Jordan at 64-65, then Keller, Reich and Blank after 79. Heidenheim answered with Niehues and Conteh at 73 and replaced the scorer Zivzivadze with Zrilic at 85. The visitors never needed a second goal.

Standout Performers

Zivzivadze's 12th-minute finish was the match. Costly supplied the assist. Furth's front pair of Srbeny and Ademi started and both were withdrawn before the last 25 minutes as Vogel chased the game. The home passing numbers (392 completions) show control. They do not show a cutting edge.

What It Means

Heidenheim move to seventh on six points from three matches (7 scored, 7 conceded). Furth drop to 11th on three points from three (6 scored, 8 conceded). Early-season 2. Bundesliga tables swing on single moments; this one swung on a 12th-minute finish against a side that then took 13 shots at low value.

Live soccer on TV coverage will lean on Furth's 65% possession graphic. The more useful graphic is the xG bar: 0.55 against 0.87. Territory without chance quality is how a home side loses 0-1 with twice as many shots.