After a 0-0 draw with Servette in the Europa League (a result that earned some criticism from president António Salvador, with the coach subsequently agreeing), Braga failed to progress beyond another draw at home against Estadio Este in the League.
As expected, the Arsenal side took on a more offensive nature early in the game, but the first great scoring opportunity eventually fell to Estrela when, on 20 minutes, Andre Luiz, isolated by Bucca, was prevented from scoring only because Matheus had a providential intervention for SP.
The answer came seven minutes later, led by Roger, who set up Bruno Brigido for a stellar goal.
The tie would be broken in the 53rd minute when Joao Moutinho evaded a counter-attack and Zalazar’s cross led to El Ouazzani’s goal.
Braga were growing in the lead and soon after Ricardo Horta tested the attention of Bruno Brigido.
The game marked Nani’s official return to the Portuguese pitch in the 68th minute, replacing Gustavo Henrique. Estrela improved, even seeing Ricardo Horta close to making it 2-0, but eventually equalised in the 80th minute with a beautiful header from Kikas.
The final minutes were thrilling, with Braga looking for a win and Filipe Martins’ side proving dangerous on the counter-attack.
Author: Abel Souza
Source: CM Jornal
I’m Dave Martin, and I’m an experienced journalist working in the news industry. As a part of my work, I write for 24 News Reporters, covering mostly sports-related topics. With more than 5 years of experience as a journalist, I have written numerous articles on various topics to provide accurate information to readers.