Braga headed into the second leg of their UEFA Europa League Round of 16 tie against Hungarian champions Ferencváros with a mountain to climb. The Portuguese outfit slumped to a disastrous 2-0 defeat in the first leg in Budapest, courtesy of strikes from Gavriel Kanichowsky and Lenny Joseph, meaning that they had to win by two clear goals in the return fixture to force extra time. In the end, the Braguistas would do far better than that.
Due to FC Porto’s home game against Stuttgart on Thursday, as well as UEFA Champions League ties taking place later that evening, Braga’s game kicked off at the strange time of 3:30 pm (local time) on a Wednesday (March 18th) afternoon. Not long after, that two-goal deficit had been wiped out in its entirety, courtesy of early strikes from captain Ricardo Horta and Austrian striker Florian Grillitsch. From that point onward, the Arsenalistas were in the driving seat, with 75 minutes in hand to score more goals and secure progression.
Braga complete the comeback
Gabri Martinez added a third for the hosts before halftime, giving his side a 3-0 lead on the night and a 3-2 lead on aggregate. Horta would then add his second of the game shortly after the break, and the Hungarian visitors simply had no answer. Braga ultimately triumphed 4-2 on aggregate, marking a stellar 24 hours for Portuguese clubs in Europe after Sporting’s stunning three-goal comeback against Bodø/Glimt in the Champions League the night before.
Online betting sites have promptly responded to the exploits of Carlos Vicens’s men. Before that comeback against Ferencváros, the bookies made Braga a 100/1 outsider to win the Europa League this season. Now, the latest Bovada soccer odds price them at 25/1, still an outsider, but some four times more likely to win the competition than they were in the immediate aftermath of that 2-0 defeat in Budapest.
When one thinks of a Portuguese club in Europe, they tend to think of the likes of FC Porto. Braga’s local rival famously won the Champions League under Jose Mourinho in 2004, while they won two Europa League/UEFA Cup crowns in eight years between 2003 and 2011. But the Braguistas have enjoyed plenty of European success of their own over the years, especially for a club of their relatively small size.
Two comebacks on the road to the final
Despite being Portugal’s “fourth team” behind giants Benfica, Porto, and Sporting, Braga have indeed contested a European final before. That came back in 2011, with the Arsenalistas powering their way to Dublin, even beating English heavyweights Liverpool in the process. And in order to make it that far, the Portuguese side had to pull off not one but two comebacks.
The first of them came in the round of 32. Braga were drawn against Polish outfit Lech Poznan, and a 1-0 defeat in the first leg away from home left them on the brink. As we were about to find out, though, this side was made of sterner stuff. Much like the clash with Ferencváros 15 years on, the Braguistas would lay much of the groundwork for the Remontada early on.
First-half goals from Brazilians Alan and Lima secured a 2-0 halftime lead in the second leg, meaning that Braga were one goal up on aggregate with 45 minutes still to play. With the away goals rule still in effect at the time, just one Poznan goal would have sent the Portuguese side crashing out. But the backline remained firm, unbreached, and able to celebrate a famous 2-1 aggregate victory.
Braga would go on to see off Liverpool in the round of 16 and Dynamo Kyiv in the quarterfinals, setting up an all-Portuguese clash in the semis against heavyweights Benfica. A 2-1 defeat in the first leg in Lisbon left Domingos’ men with work to do, but Vandinho’s crucial away goal at the Estádio da Luz would make all the difference.
In the second leg, Braga would once again score early through defensive midfielder Custódio, handing them the lead on away goals, despite the aggregate score being level at 2-2. Benfica needed a goal to progress, but once again, the backline would remain as resolute as ever. Despite banging away at the door, the Eagles couldn’t find the goal they so desperately needed, and Braga progressed to a shock final appearance.
Porto follow the Braga blueprint
Braga would have to contest another all-Portuguese tie if they wished to win the trophy, this time against Porto, with the Dublin showdown marking the first time in history that two Portuguese clubs had faced off against each other in a European final. Manager Andre Villas-Boas had assembled a squad stacked with talent and headlined by the menacing strike force of Hulk and Radamel Falcao.
Throughout the tournament, Braga had scored early, then defended for their lives. On this occasion, however, it was Porto who would steal that blueprint. Falcao would net on the stroke of halftime to give the Dragons the lead, and Domingos had to find an equalizer somehow. Unfortunately, they were unable to do it, and it was Porto who left the Emerald Isle with the giant trophy in tow.
