Rosario the turning point: the tweak that stopped Braga and sparked the 2-1 | OneFootball

The decisive move by Francesco Farioli, when the score was 1-1 against Braga, was to substitute the winger William Gomes for the midfielder Pablo Rosario.

Braga was dominating possession, while FC Porto was looking to play vertically and capitalize on transitions; the introduction of the Dominican international might have seemed unexpected at first, but it ultimately proved to be the right choice.

In the 73rd minute, the entry of the number 13 “shifted” Gabri Veiga to the right flank—a position the midfielder admitted was not the most comfortable for him, but from which the Galician would go on to be decisive.

Farioli’s intention from the outset was for FC Porto to press higher and gain more consistency in midfield, in order to keep Braga’s circulation away from Diogo Costa’s goal area. Varela dropped slightly deeper than Froholdt, and Pablo Rosario, shortly after coming on, made a sliding tackle in midfield that allowed Bednarek to release Gabri Veiga, leading to FC Porto’s best chance of the second half before the goal.

That moment came shortly after Deniz Gul “drew” a yellow card from Lagerbielke, as he tried to advance in the center circle.

Then, in the 79th minute, Gabri Veiga received the ball on the right flank, combined with Alberto Costa, and played a diagonal pass to Borja Sainz, who finished to make it 2-1.

With the lead restored, Varela returned to the line alongside Froholdt and Pablo Rosario joined the Polish center-backs, to the right of Bednarek, forming a back five when necessary.

Since Pablo Rosario came on, besides the best chance and Borja’s goal, Braga did not register a single shot, did not benefit from any set pieces, nor did they enter FC Porto’s penalty area, except for a wide cross to the far post that Gabri Martínez failed to follow up.

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