Sporting Braga and Sporting Clube de Portugal started their Primeira Liga campaigns with a spectacular 3-3 draw at the Quarry.
It was an electric opening to the contest with Pote putting the Lions ahead in the 9th minute, Simon Banza equalising five minutes later, Nuno Santos restoring Sporting CP's lead in the 18th minute and Sikou Niakaté equalising on the stroke of half-time.
The second half appeared to be cruising towards a tame conclusion before the game came alive in the final 10 minutes. Marcus Edwards was on hand to score in the 83rd minute but Braga wouldn't be denied, Abel Ruiz converting in the 88th minute.
PortuGOAL's Matthew Marshall reports from Estádio Municipal de Braga.
Electric Opening
There were some new faces on show with new Braga manager Artur Jorge handing debuts to Víctor Gómez, Sikou Niakaté & Simon Banza. Rúben Amorim gave Hidemasa Morita and Trincão their first starts for the Lions.
Sporting CP started well at the Quarry and won two free kicks in dangerous positions. Matheus Nunes apeared intent on dominating the match and instigated the opening goal in the 9th minute.
Pedro Porro had been enjoying plenty of open space down the right wing, this time he was released by Nunes before delivering a cross towards Pote who converted from close range. It was an alarming defensive lapse from Artur Jorge’s new team.
Five minutes later Braga equalised. Ricardo Horta saw Simon Banza unmarked on the edge of the 18-yard box and gave him the ball, the French striker picking his spot and beating Adán.
There was no letting up with Sporting CP regaining the lead in the 18th minute. It was a brilliant goal, Nunes driving forward once again, playing a lovely pass to an unmarked Nuno Santos who volleyed into the ground with the ball bouncing over Matheus and into the net.
Chances keep coming
Braga throught they had equalised after Gonçalo Inácio lost possession in his own box, Banza eventually poking home from close range but the goal ruled out for an earlier offside.
Trincão missed a glorious opportunity to score in the 37th minute, teed up by Pote but unable to keep his shot down with Matheus to beat. André Horta then played a poor pass which resulted in Pote firing over the bar.
Braga got back on top before the break, Ricardo Horta firing a difficult volley over the bar. Víctor Gómez picked up an injury and was replaced by Fabiano in the 44th minute.
Os Guerreiros kept pressing and equalised on the stroke of halftime with another new signing scoring on debut. Nuno Sequeira’s deep free kick fell perfectly for Sikou Niakaté, the central defender heading powerfully past Adán.
Second half slowly comes alive
Iuri Medeiros was replaced by Rodrigo Gomes at the break and the 19-year-old was soon involved, electing to pass when a shot was begging to be hit.
Banza then did well to win the ball on the right wing, providing Ricardo Horta with a chance that went way over the bar. The chances kept coming for the hosts, Sequeira delivering a cross to the back post where Gomes was unable to reach it at full stretch.
Rúben Amorim attempted to turn the tide by introducing Jeremiah St. Juste, Manuel Ugarte and Marcus Edwards for Nuno Santos, Hidemasa Morita and Paulinho.
The Lions roared back into the game and were awarded a penalty in the 62nd minute. Sequeira and Pote got into a tangle in the box, referee Fábio Veríssimo pointing to the spot before overturning his decision after consulting the replays on the touchline monitor.
Porro’s cross was deflected onto the post but neither goalkeeper was being seriously tested. André Horta made way for André Castro in the 67th minute and Rochinha came on for a fatigued Porro in the 78th minute.
Frantic finale
The match appeared to be heading towards a 2-2 draw before a frantic final 10 minutes that had the crowd out of or on the edge of their seats.
Ugarte was allowed far too much time and space in the box in the 83rd minute, Sequeira unable to clear his cross with Marcus Edwards on hand to finish past Matheus.
Artur Jorge immediately reacted with Niakaté and Banza making way for Álvaro Djaló and Abel Ruiz, Amorim replacing Trincão with Ricardo Esgaio. All three players were involved in Braga’s equaliser in the 88th minute.
Djaló displayed skill and speed to get past Esgaio and drive to the byline, his cross finding Ruiz who executed a deft finish past Adán.
There was one last chance for Braga to snatch victory, a long ball headed towards his own goal by Inácio, Vitinha tracing through but unable to beat Adán from a tight angle.
Analysis
There was a significant moment after the final whistle when the players acknowledged the supporters in the stands, Ricardo Horta standing alone to say goodbye to the club with his move to Benfica imminent. Horta was incredible last season and while it's sad to see him leave Braga, he deserves his move to Benfica where he should pocket significantly more cash.
There is too much to unpack here and the match was eventful enough, so I am going to keep my thoughts in the bank and make some withdrawals when discussing these clubs in the coming weeks.
For now I want to talk about a serious issue that appears to be increasing in Portugal and has to stop.
There were a number of extremely loud exploisions from both sets of supporters throughout the game. During the second half, another one went off in the middle of the Braga ultras, resulting in security personnel carrying an injured supporter behind the pitch to receive medical treatment.
If there are no supporters that have already sustained permanent hearing damage from these explosions, it's only a matter of time before it does, or perhaps something far more serious and long lasting. I am all for celebrating and showing support for your team, but this crosses a line.
It's going to be a serious challenge for security, police and clubs to stop this irresponsible, reckless, disrespectful, dangerous and brain dead behaviour.
I asked Artur Jorge about it after the game, and while he didn't appear to have been informed about the incident and obviously wanted to focus on the performance of his team, he said "I am naturaly sad that a supporter was injured in the stands, both teams gave a spectacle with two managers and teams that wanted to win, these things in the stands should never happen."
Jorge has a powerful voice inside the club, now more than ever. Once he receives the medical reports, meets the injured supporter and gets more information, he will be in a position to send a message in to uncertain terms that it simply has to stop.
Braga president António Salvador is currently attempting to have a dialogue with Liga Portugal in an attempt to reform Portuguese football in areas such as competitiveness, TV rights, schedules and game times including Monday night fixtures, an admirable pursuit.
I hope the behaviour outlined above will be added to the list sooner rather than later, before an individual and Portuguese football suffers a serious tragedy.
Highlights
Line Ups
Braga (4-4-2): Matheus - Víctor Gómez (Fabiano 44’), Vítor Tormena, Sikou Niakaté (Álvaro Djaló 84’), Nuno Sequeira - Ricardo Horta, Ali Musrati, André Horta (André Castro 67’), Iuri Medeiros (Rodrigo Gomes 46’) - Simon Banza (Abel Ruiz 88’), Vítor Oliveira
Unused substitutes: Tiago Sá, Paulo Oliveira, Jean-Baptiste Gorby, Diego Lainez
Head Coach: Artur Jorge
Sporting CP (3-4-3): Adán - Gonçalo Inácio, Sebastián Coates, Matheus Reis - Pedro Porro (Rochinha 78’), Matheus Nunes, Hidemasa Morita (Manuel Ugarte 60’), Nuno Santos (Jeremiah St. Juste 60’) - Trincão (Ricardo Esgaio 85’), Paulinho (Marcus Edwards 60’), Pote
Unused substitutes: Franco Israel, José Martínez, Flávio Nazinho, Issahaku Fatawu
Head Coach: Ruben Amorim
Goals:
[0-1] – Pote 9’
[1-1] – Simon Banza 14’
[1-2] – Nuno Santos 18’
[2-2] – Sikou Niakaté 46’
[2-3] – Marcus Edwards 83’
[3-3] – Abel Ruiz 88'
