Braga 2-1 Freiburg: Dorgeles' late winner powers Braga to first-leg win despite Zalazar pen miss

SC Braga claimed their first-ever European knockout victory over German opposition after Mario Dorgeles struck late, condemning SC Freiburg to a heartbreaking 2-1 loss in the first leg of the UEFA Europa League (UEL) semi-final tie at the Estádio Municipal de Braga.

Match Report

Braga made a perfect start to their first UEL semi-final in 15 years, requiring less than 10 minutes to hit the front through Demir Ege Tıknaz. Jordy Makengo failed to deal with a deep cross, and the full-back’s poor defensive header allowed Víctor Gómez to bring the ball down and roll it across for Tıknaz to slide it beyond Noah Atubolu. The visitors looked dazed, but they were soon offered the chance to gain a foothold when a defensive mix-up on the halfway line opened the door for Jan-Niklas Beste to race in behind and into the box, where he played the ball across for Vincenzo Grifo to steer home his sixth European goal of the season.

However, rather than Grifo, it was Atubolu who made sure his team went into the break on level terms with a superb penalty save in first-half stoppage time. The shot-stopper sprang to his right to thwart Rodrigo Zalazar after Philipp Lienhart was harshly penalised for holding Gustaf Lagerbielke following a VAR review. An exciting end to the first period was soon followed by a cagey start to the second that eventually burst into life when Maximilian Eggestein forced Lukáš Horníček into an unconvincing stop, having latched onto a far-post knockdown.

As time ticked by, Julian Schuster’s charges appeared to change their ambitions from snatching a winner to protecting the draw as they dropped deeper in an effort to frustrate their hosts. And their strategy nearly paid off until Dorgeles netted a dramatic winner in the second minute of stoppage time. Atubolu could only parry Vitor Carvalho’s shot into the path of the 21-year-old, who stroked home the rebound to give his side a precious first-leg advantage ahead of the return fixture in Germany next week. 

Match Events

0' The match is about to start!

8' GOAL! Braga 1-0 Freiburg (D. Tıknaz)

16' GOAL! Braga 1-1 Freiburg (Vincenzo Grifo)

34' Highlight from Braga vs Freiburg

47' Penalty Missed!  (Rodrigo Zalazar)

64' Highlight from Braga vs Freiburg

92' GOAL! Braga 2-1 Freiburg (Mario Dorgeles)

Line-ups

Braga XI: Moutinho, Oliveira, Ricardo Horta, Vítor Carvalho, Víctor Gomez, Gustaf Lagerbielke, Rodrigo Zalazar, Lukas Hornicek, Pau Víctor, Gorby, D. Tıknaz

Subs: Tiago Sá, Fran Navarro, Leonardo Lelo, Alaa Bellaarouch, Amine El Ouazzani, Vasconcelos, Mario Dorgeles, Yanis da Rocha, Afonso Sousa, Jonatás Noro, Mordomo, Luisinho

Freiburg XI: Ginter, V. Grifo, Lienhart, Eggestein, J. Beste, Noah Atubolu, Philipp Treu, Jordy Makengo, Yuito Suzuki, Igor Matanovic, Johan Manzambi

Subs: Höfler, Kübler, Anthony Jung, Philipp, Günter, Jannik Huth, Lucas Höler, Florian Müller, Derry Scherhant, Cyriaque Irié, Bruno Ogbus, Rouven Tarnutzer