Braga 2-2 Benfica - Eagles' Primeira Liga ambitions dealt a blow at the Quarry | OneFootball

The Warriors dominated early on, Fredrik Aursnes doing well to divert João Moutinho’s attempt over the bar. Ricardo Horta then put the ball into the net, the goal ruled out after he kicked Nicolás Otamendi in the head.

Benfica scored against the run of play in the 29th minute following Leonardo Lelo’s foul on Amar Dedic. Georgiy Sudakov whipped the free kick into a dangerous area and Nicolás Otamendi headed the ball past Lukas Hornicek.

Braga found the net again in the 35th minute through Pau Victor who was ruled offside, but there was a lifeline after Samuel Dahl, who had endured a tough time since the opening whistle, handled Mario Dorgeles’ header.

Referee João Gonçalves pointed to the spot where Rodrigo Zalazar stepped up and sent Anatoliy Trubin the wrong way.

Carlos Vicens’ side maintained the momentum and took the lead in added time when Zalazar got past Dahl and drove to the byline. His cross wasn’t cleared by Richard Rios, Pau Victor taking advantage by stepping inside Araújo and Otamendi before firing past Trubin.

José Mourinho’s side had some fortune eight minutes after the break when they equalised. Rios’ foul on Horta went unpunished, The Eagles breaking clear which resulted in Vangelis Pavlidis teeing up Aursnes who sent a sweet strike into the top corner.

Benfica took complete control of the contest, Tomás Araújo going on a long run forward but unable to beat Hornicek. Pavlidis scored from an offside position and Dahl tested the busy goalkeeper as the chances kept coming.

Rios forced another save from Hornicek, picked up the rebound and provided Dahl with a chance he couldn’t miss, but the celebrations were cut short as the Colombian had fouled Vitor Carvalho in the process and was booked for his protests.

Carlos Vicens and Mourinho got busy with substitutions as the Eagles continued to threaten, Aursnes missing a great chance on his left foot.

Fatigue set in which set up an entertaining conclusion to an enthralling match, Pavlidis missing the target in added time and Horta sent off after earning a second yellow card.

Great game!

Vicens deserves a lot of credit after some poor performances early in the season saw the Braga faithful waving the white flags. José Mourinho learned first hand how hard the Warriors have become to beat.

Benfica improved after half-time but the result was ultimately a fair one considering the circumstances leading up to their equaliser. The Eagles remain unbeaten in the Primeira Liga but are likely to go into 2026 ten points behind Porto who host AFS on Monday.