Estoril came into Friday’s night’s encounter against Braga on the back of a 4-0 thrashing at Famalicão last weekend, which was the latest disappointment in a run of three defeats and one draw in their last four matches.
Braga, on the other hand, kicked off the game having won their last four matches in all competitions in an unbeaten run stretching back to seven games in total.
As all football fans know, one of the enduring attractions of the beautiful game is its unpredictability, and sure enough, all logic went out of the window as Estoril pulled off a 1-0 victory.
Estoril are one of the most entertaining teams to watch in Portugal, with goals normally guaranteed at both ends of the pitch. And Ian Cathro’s side were protagonists in another excellent spectacle, with the teams mirroring each other by each having 14 efforts on goal, of which 7 were on target.
The result may have been a surprise, but the bigger surprise was that only one goal was scored.
Former Braga youth striker André Laximicante scored the all-important goal shortly before half time.
Estoril round off their 2025 schedule with another home clash, against Alverca on 27 December, while Braga have two important engagements before the New Year, away at Caldas in the Portuguese Cup before hosting Benfica next weekend.
Estoril 1-0 Braga highlights
