Hetafe beat Partizan 3-1 in the Conference League playoff round at the Coliseum Alfonso Pérez on Wednesday. The result confirms the prediction we made before kick-off, which gave the home side a 69 per cent chance of victory. And here's the thing — the hosts had not been convincing in their recent form, losing three of their last five matches.
E. Unal opened the scoring in the tenth minute, and Partizan equalised through D. Seck just before half-time. Johan Mojica had a penalty cancelled by VAR in the sixty-third minute, which shifted the momentum. A. Garcia restored Hetafe's lead in the eighty-seventh minute.
Abdel Abqar picked up two bookings in five minutes and was sent off in the sixty-eighth minute. By then Hetafe had already taken the lead, and the numerical advantage changed how the game unfolded. Partizan could not equalise after that.
Hetafe held 61 per cent possession and registered ten shots on target compared with Partizan's single effort. The hosts created three big chances and registered an expected goals figure of 1.82, while Partizan managed 30 clearances and made eighteen successful tackles. The statistics show Hetafe dominated the middle third but wasted several opportunities.
Hetafe advance to the next round with a three-goal cushion. Partizan's away record looks fragile after this defeat, and the gap in quality was visible throughout. The result means the Spanish side will face a tougher draw in the group stage.