Sp. Braga beat Santa Clara 5-3 this Sunday in a thrilling game and were one step away from a guaranteed Champions League qualifying round. The Azores, on the contrary, were closer to the descent into the II League.
The 1st half was absolutely insane. Arsenal’s players scored in the 10th minute by captain Ricardo Horta after an understanding with Youri Medeiros, while Santa Clara equalized in the 17th minute in a penalty kick converted by Matheus Babi after a foul committed by Paulo Oliveira.
In the open and dizzying game of Sp. Braga gained a new lead in the 35th minute with a header to the center of Niakate, and already in a long compensation period (45+5) they extended the lead, with Abel Ruiz matching Bruma’s move.
The second half continued to be tight, with clear two-goal opportunities and very high-level interventions from two goalkeepers. In the 68th minute, Paulo Oliveira converted a penalty again, this time to Ricardinho, with Mateus Babi scoring twice.
The game was restarted and Santa Clara even surprised Pedreira by equalizing in the 85th minute thanks to a superb header from Boateng. But the happiness of the islanders was short-lived, because two minutes later Bruma made it 4-3 with the smallest details in front of Gabriel Batista, after Yuri Medeiros carefully removed him. In stoppage time, there was still time for Pizzi’s excellent goal to seal the result.
Focus on “Overcoming Ability”
“I have to appreciate three points. The game was more emotional than we wanted, it required the ability to overcome. We knew there would be difficult moments in the game, but we were more efficient and dominant,” said Artur Jorge. Coach Sp. Braga.
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.