πͺπΈ Spain were in a league of their own. They allowed just 0.39 expected goals against (xGA) per matchβa total of 3.09 xGA across all eight matches, including the final. That’s nearly twice as good as any other team that made a similarly deep run in the tournament.
π₯ Among teams that played five or more matches, the next-best defensive records belonged to Canada (0.65 xGA per game) and Argentina (0.67), followed closely by Colombia (0.73) and Brazil (0.75).
β‘οΈ This perfectly supports our earlier post about the goalless attacking display in the final. Spain’s average of 0.39 xGA per match explains why Lionel Messi’s Argentina failed to register a single shot on target over 90 minutes. It wasn’t a one-off performanceβit reflected Spain’s consistently elite defensive level throughout the tournament.
π― Betting takeaway: when a team with this level of xGA reaches the knockout stage or the final, it provides a strong case for Under Goals markets and for backing their opponents to struggle offensively, regardless of how high-scoring the tournament has been overall.
