Before the game, Nuno Espirito Santo may well have taken a 1-1 draw away from home in the first leg of his side’s Europa League clash against Olympiacos.
After all, it would mean his side had gotten the all-important away goal, and could head back to Molineux with the advantage. But after the way in which the game panned out, the Portuguese man would surely have been left bitterly disappointed by the result.
Having seen Olympiacos centre-back Ruben Semedo receive a red card for a professional foul after just 28 minutes of the game, Wolves had the perfect opportunity to really establish a decent first-leg lead to take back home.
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Instead, they had to settle for just 1-1. And whilst he may have been the man to cause Semedo’s sending off when he was brought down, Diogo Jota had a dismal game overall for Wolves.
As per Sofascore, the Portuguese ace’s 6.2 match rating was the second-worst of any player on the pitch – in fact, only Semedo received lower. And when you look at the underlying numbers behind his performance, it’s easy to see why.
Games away from home desperately need players to step up and be counted. Winning the 50/50s and the physical battles can go a long way to ensuring your side can silence the home crowd, and also get yourself a footing in the game. Instead, Jota struggled badly with trying to impose himself, losing 13 of his 17 total duels – he won just two out of 12 that were contested on the ground.
Where is he from?! Can you name which obscure countries these famous players have represented?
He also failed to complete any of the four dribbles that he attempted, had no shots on target, made just 19 accurate passes, and lost possession 15 times – the last stat being the second-worst of any Wolves player (only Adama Traore conceded the ball more times).
It was the kind of spineless display that let Nuno down badly. Here was a great opportunity for Jota to really take the game by the scruff of the neck after doing well to help earn Wolves their one-man advantage. But in the end, he struggled to really make it count.
Meanwhile, Wolves’ swoop for this Real Madrid star would be a masterclass.