Braga Produce Incredible Comeback to Beat Betis And Reach Europa League Semis

SC Braga booked their place in the UEFA Europa League (UEL) semi-finals in dramatic fashion with a 4-2 second-leg win over Real Betis, giving them a 5-3 aggregate victory.

After a 1-1 draw in the first leg, Manuel Pellegrini’s side started brightly at home as they pushed for an early lead. Antony scored with a close-range header from Abde Ezzalzouli’s deflected cross in the 13th minute, giving the hosts a strong start.

The atmosphere inside the Estadio de La Cartuja grew louder, and Betis doubled their lead 12 minutes later. Ezzalzouli finished off Pablo Fornals’ cutback from close range to make it 2-0 and put the Spanish side in control.

Real Betis even thought they had scored a third when Ezzalzouli found the net again from Antony’s pass, but VAR ruled it out for offside in the build-up involving the former Manchester United winger.

Braga took advantage of that let-off and pulled one back just before half-time. Pau Victor scored after a defensive mix-up between Marc Bartra and Diego Llorente, bringing the visitors back into the contest.

The second half was much more intense, with both sides adjusting their approach. Vitor Carvalho’s powerful header made it 2-2, turning the momentum in Braga’s favour.

The Portuguese side then moved ahead on 53 minutes, and it was their key man Ricardo Horta who stepped up. He calmly converted from the penalty spot after Sofyan Amrabat fouled Demir Tiknaz inside the box, completing the comeback and leaving Betis stunned.

Braga then finished the job in the closing stages. A poor headed clearance from Ricardo Rodriguez fell to Jean-Baptiste Gorby outside the box, and then he struck a powerful blow past Pau Lopez to seal Braga’s place in the UEFA Europa League semi-finals. With this victory, Braga are now set to face Freiburg in the semis, which is also expected to be a thrilling encounter.