Superb FC Porto come from behind to beat Braga 2-1 at the Pedreira | OneFootball

FC Porto left Braga with reasons to breathe a sigh of relief after defeating Sporting de Braga 2-1 in the 27th round of the Primeira Liga. The blue and white team was at a disadvantage but turned the score around at Pedreira and secured the three points, preventing their rivals from closing in on the standings.

As expected, FC Porto took control of ball possession early on, trying to surprise the Minho team in the first few minutes. Nevertheless, Sporting de Braga also showed ambition and did not retreat too much, limiting themselves to defending.

Even so, it was FC Porto who created the first dangerous play, just four minutes in, following a corner. Alan Varela was left unmarked and received the ball at the edge of the area, having space to control it and shoot with a curve. For a brief moment, it seemed the shot was goal-bound, but it ended up slightly wide.

After that start, there were chances for both teams, although FC Porto remained more assertive offensively. A highlight was a shot by Ricardo Horta at 14 minutes, after an excellent initiative by Zalazar, but the recent call-up by Roberto Martínez shot way off target.

As the first half progressed, the match became more balanced. The next play ended up provoking the irritation of Francesco Farioli. The Porto coach protested intensely on the bench and demanded a red card for Niakaté following a foul on Deniz Gul.

At 34 minutes, Pepê launched the Turkish forward in depth, and the Braga defender brought down the Porto player, eventually seeing a yellow card. The blue and white bench still claimed a penalty, but António Nobre maintained the decision.

Right after, Gabri Veiga took the free kick, and the shot went very close to the post. At 42 minutes, Alan Varela once again played a decisive role by cutting a potentially dangerous shot from Pau Victor.

In the second half, the scenario changed, with Sp. Braga coming in stronger and showing good ability to break free from FC Porto's high pressure. The Braga team was rewarded with a penalty at 52 minutes after a foul by Gabri Veiga.

The Spanish midfielder received a yellow card, and the referee awarded the maximum penalty. Rodrigo Zalazar took responsibility and did not fail against Diogo Costa, putting Sporting de Braga ahead.

In response to the conceded goal, Francesco Farioli took off Pepê and Deniz Gul, bringing on William Gomes and Terem Moffi.

FC Porto realized they needed to do more to change the course of the match and increased the pace, pushing Sp. Braga back towards their area. At 58 minutes, they had a good opportunity, with Victor Froholdt breaking into the area and shooting low, resulting in an excellent save by Hornicek.

Soon after, it was William Gomes's turn to do what he does best: cut inside and shoot with a curve using his left foot. A deflection by a Minho player prevented the equalizer.

Sp. Braga tried to take control of the game and forced FC Porto to chase the ball. After Farioli, Carlos Vicens also refreshed the team with the entries of Gabriel Moscardo and Gabri Martínez. FC Porto responded with Fofana and Rosario on the field.

Despite this, FC Porto countered the Braga emblem and equalized after a quick counterattack by Pietuszewski. The young Pole raced down the left and crossed to the center, where William Gomes was ready to tap in. The play was reviewed by VAR but was immediately validated.

The Dragons capitalized on the good moment and completed the comeback at 80 minutes. After a corner kick, the ball fell to Fofana, who shot powerfully into the back of the net. Until the final whistle, Fofana was still close to scoring a brace but shot wide.

With this result, FC Porto responded to Sporting's victory in Alverca and now has 72 points at the top of the Primeira Liga, seven more than the Lions, who have a game in hand.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇵🇹 here.