SC Braga Secures Final Four Spot in League Cup with Victory Over Nacional; Ricardo Horta Shines in 3-0 Win; Casa Pia Left Behind

SC Braga guarantees ‘final four’ with victory over Nacional; Ricardo Horta with participation in the three goals; Casa Pia outdated

For a team that needed to win by two goals to reach the final four of the League Cup – or else a victory by a goal difference, from 3-2 –, SC Braga had a calming start. A silly foul by Sérgio Marakis on Ricardo Horta put João Moutinho on the penalty spot, and the experienced midfielder hit well, giving Arsenal the advantage (16′).

Although they were already out of the fight for qualification, Nacional even left good indications in the final moments, trying to show the reasons for their good campaign in League 2, under the command of Tiago Margarido. Even with some of the main figures sitting on the bench.

Faced with a cohesive block, and quite high on the ground, SC Braga had difficulties in the initial approach, insisting on diagonal passes from José Fonte to Bruma or Borja, on the left. Efficiency was essential to unblock the game, especially because the second goal was not long in coming. It began with being invalidated, for being offside, but then Miguel Nogueira understood that Banza’s position did not disturb Lucas França’s action, and after eight minutes of waiting he conceded a goal to Niakaté (24′).

Nacional even had the capacity to respond, but if Witi shot at Lukas Hornicek, after speeding away from José Fonte, SC Braga was once again tremendously effective on the brink of half-time, with Bruma isolating Ricardo Horta behind the defense. Madeiran to 3-0 for Artur Jorge’s team.

José Gomes rocked

The second half began with a goal disallowed against SC Braga, due to Pizzi being offside, but then Nacional began to take advantage of the three substitutions at half-time. Gustavo and Ramírez would even be bigger threats than José Gomes, but it was the latter who led the noble reaction of a team that had little or nothing to gain. The left-back took advantage of Borja’s passivity to, without needing to jump, score following a corner kick (62′). Soon after, Hornicek forced a tight defense and, just a few seconds apart, shot at the Braga goal post.

Nacional was still scary, even without aspirations in the competition, but SC Braga had the maturity to settle the score and overtake Casa Pia on the road to Leiria.

2023-12-22 23:07:00
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