SC Braga has taken a significant step toward the Europa League final after defeating SC Freiburg 2-1 in the first leg of their semi-final tie on Thursday night. The Portuguese side now holds the advantage heading into the decisive second leg.
At the Estádio Municipal de Braga, the lone Portuguese representative still alive in European competition took the lead just eight minutes into the match through Demir Ege Tıknaz. However, the German visitors quickly responded, leveling the score at 1-1 in the 16th minute thanks to Vincenzo Grifo. Just before halftime, Rodrigo Zalazar missed a penalty, but Braga kept pushing. Deep into stoppage time, Mario Dorgeles struck in the 90+2nd minute to secure a crucial victory for the home side.
Under the guidance of manager Carlos Vicens, Braga now harbor strong hopes of reaching the Europa League final—a feat they have accomplished only once in their history, during the 2010/11 season, when they eliminated Benfica in the semi-finals but fell to FC Porto in the final.
The second leg against Freiburg is scheduled for next Thursday, May 7, in Germany, where the match will determine which team advances to the final. In the other semi-final first leg, Nottingham Forest, managed by Portuguese coach Vítor Pereira, edged Aston Villa 1-0, putting them in a strong position to book their spot in the final as well.
