Louth United 4 - 7 Brixham

Key Events:

• 11' Louth United Martin Schäfer scores
• 23' Yellow card to Brixham Placido Castelli
• 25' Brixham David Grenier scores, assisted by Vlado Nachev
• 28' Brixham David Grenier scores, assisted by Victor Varela
• 41' Brixham Vlado Nachev scores, assisted by Placido Castelli
• 49' Louth United Jason Adams scores
• 51' Brixham Tiago Ferreira scores
• 52' Louth United Rafael Do Rosario scores, assisted by Martin Schäfer
• 55' Louth United Rafael Do Rosario scores, assisted by Jason Adams
• 61' Brixham Tiago Ferreira scores
• 79' Brixham David Grenier scores, assisted by Tiago Ferreira
• 87' Brixham Hidetoshi Ishii scores, assisted by Tiago Ferreira

Expected Goals (xG) Analysis: The Gazzetta chance-quality estimate put Louth United at 4.68 xG and Brixham at 4.84. Louth United scored four, 0.68 below its estimate; Brixham scored seven, 2.16 above theirs. With 21 shots apiece and 17 and 18 on target respectively, neither side lacked opportunities: Brixham’s decisive edge came in converting them, particularly during the three-goal run before half-time and the late strikes that kept Louth United’s response from becoming a recovery. The equal possession suggests neither club simply monopolised the ball; Brixham’s higher pass accuracy, 84% to 79%, and greater tally of tackles also hint at a side that used its moments more efficiently. The xG numbers expected a close contest in chance quality. The scoreboard, having seen the finishing, filed a rather different report.

For Louth United, three different scorers and a sharp burst after the interval offered plenty of evidence that the attack could hurt Brixham. The trouble was that each step toward making the match level was answered by another Brixham goal, first through Tiago Ferreira and later through David Grenier and Hidetoshi Ishii. Brixham’s seven goals came from four scorers, with Grenier’s hat-trick and Ferreira’s two goals and two assists making the difference unusually legible. A 4-7 defeat is not a narrow miss, even when the chance figures say the contest itself was more balanced than the final score.