Braga had a disappointing zero performance in Thursday’s home game against Swiss side Servette, having to make the difference in the second leg of their Europa League third qualifying round tie on August 15 in Geneva to secure qualification. Clears his throat Avoid leaving the test.
After dominating the second qualifying round against Israeli side Maccabi Petah Tikva, which they won 7-0 on both legs, Braga were disappointed, although they continued to keep a clean sheet in the Europa League. The condition is not enough to guarantee victory, which coach Daniel Sousa said was an obligation on Minho’s team.
In the first half, Servette surprised Braga and came close to scoring with three or four shots from Mateus’ eight, four more than Minho’s team. The Brazilian goalkeeper made two providential interventions to avoid a compromise result in the first half.
The Swiss prepared for Minho’s team’s reaction in the second half, opting for a more disciplined style of play, reducing risks and attacking more surgically, believing they would be able to exploit their home advantage in the second leg.
Despite this situation, Sp. Braga continued not to find solutions, upset by the secret night of Zalazar and Ricardo Horta, which Bruma and Roger tried to compensate for with some individual initiatives.
The fact that Sp. Braga won only their first corner in the last 15 minutes was symptomatic. Despite the lack of collective inspiration, Braga came close through Ouazzani (76′) and Bruma (81′), whose shot created the illusion of a goal as the ball found the side netting.
But the goal never came and Braga will have to come up with a different answer in Switzerland.
Agatha Christie is a journalist and feature writer specialising in culture, entertainment, books, and current affairs. She is committed to producing accurate, informative content that helps readers stay informed about the latest developments in the UK and beyond.