Carlos Vicens under pressure after Braga beaten 1-0 by Gil Vicente | OneFootball

Braga got into some promising positions early on with Pau Víctor firing at Andrew in the 12th minute. Gil Vicente gradually got on top however, Luís Esteves going close with a free kick and Pablo forcing a fine save from Lukás Hornícek.

Santi García went close before the break, the Gilistas maintaining the pressure and taking the lead in added time. The goal came following a swift counter attack, Esteves playing a great through ball to Agustín Moreira who picked out an unmarked Pablo who couldn't miss an empty net.

Carlos Vicens side ended the first half with 2-10 shots so he made two changes at the break, Gabriel Moscardo and Rodrigo Zalazar coming on for Jean-Baptiste Corby and Víctor.

García was booked and fortunate not to see red after taking down Zalazar from behind. Florian Grillitsch then came off the bench to make his debut, the midfielder replacing Fran Navarro.

Braga went desperately close in the 67th minute following a corner, João Moutinho’s header saved by Andrew before the 39-year-old fired the follow up off the bar.

Ricardo Horta was introduced in the 80th minute and didn’t take long to get involved, slamming a fierce strike straight at Andrew. He scuffed another effort at the goalkeeper to end a frustrating evening for the Warriors.

Vicens under pressure

The defeat was Carlos Vicens’ first since moving to Braga, the Spanish manager enjoying an easy run of fixtures after replacing Carlos Carvalhal. He couldn’t have asked for a more favourable draw in the Europa League qualifiers and few would have expressed much concern after his side conceded one goal in his opening seven games at the helm.

He had made some questionable decisions however, and looking further beneath the surface there were some worrying signs with Tondela and Alverca blowing plenty of presentable opportunities to score.

Braga dominated possession in their previous two Primeira Liga matches but needed late goals to salvage 2-2 draws against AFS and at Rio Ave. Their luck ran out against Gil Vicente and the defeat against their northern neighbours will be a tough one to take for the supporters who frequently endure late night matches on Sunday evenings.

Many of the Braga faithful were waving white flags after the final whistle and António Salvador was seen shaking his head in the grandstand. One wonders how long the patience of the president will last, especially after he recently sacked Daniel Ramos after just four games in charge.

Salvador splashed the cash on Mario Dorgeles and Pau Víctor after being seduced by Vicens and his previous position as Pep Guardiola’s assistant at Manchester City. So far Vicens seems out of his depth and Braga’s fixture list only going to get tougher, starting next week with a Minho derby in Guimarães.

Peixoto on fire

César Peixoto has had a fantastic start to the season after becoming Gil Vicente manager in March. He endured a tough start to his managerial career but couldn’t have don’t much more in five games this campaign.

The Barcelos club have kept four clean sheets, earning victories at Nacional, Braga and at home against Moreirense. The Gilistas earned a 0-0 draw at Famalicão and lost 2-0 at home against Porto. With Luís Esteves providing the creativity and Pablo putting the goals away, they are well placed to secure a top half finish in the post Kanya Fujimoto era.