Urena and Rayo Zuliano shared the points in a Venezuelan Cup Round 1 Group D fixture that defied the statistics. The hosts dominated possession and shot volume but could not find the net against visitors who spent most of the match a man down. The 0:0 result leaves both sides with something to ponder.
Rayo Zuliano lost their first red card in the 18th minute, then a second in the 39th. By then Urena had been playing the second half a man up, but even with that advantage the goals did not come. The visitors dug in defensively, and the hosts had nothing to lose by continuing to press forward.
Urena registered 11 shots with seven on target, while Rayo Zuliano managed only four with a single on target. The hosts controlled 68 per cent of possession and completed 97 attacks compared with 65 for the visitors. Shots accuracy sat at 0.64 for Urena and 0.25 for Rayo Zuliano. Many shots with one goal means chances went begging, and there is no value left at that number when the score stays level.
The result keeps the group standings intact. Rayo Zuliano remain top of Group D on seven points from three games, having won twice and drawn once. Urena sit second with four points after one victory, one draw and one defeat. The table goes out of the window in these games, but the gap remains.
Urena's recent form has been mixed, including a heavy 3:0 defeat to Rayo Zuliano earlier this month. The visitors, meanwhile, have shown they can score and concede in equal measure, as their 4:3 win over Carabobo and 1:4 loss to UCv demonstrate. The draw does little to separate the sides on paper.