A dramatic late goal from substitute Mario Dorgeles gave Sporting Braga a 2-1 win over Freiburg in the first leg of their UEFA Europa League semi-final on Thursday night at the Estádio Municipal de Braga.
The home side struck first after only eight minutes. Turkish midfielder Demir Ege Tıknaz turned in a low cross from Víctor Gómez to put Braga ahead.
But Freiburg hit back just eight minutes later. A mix‑up between two Braga defenders allowed Jan‑Niklas Beste to race through and square the ball for Vincenzo Grifo, who made no mistake from close range. The score stayed 1-1 until half‑time.
Braga thought they had a chance to retake the lead in the first half when English referee Anthony Taylor awarded a penalty after checking the pitchside monitor. Philipp Lienhart had fouled Gustaf Lagerbielke in the box. However, Freiburg goalkeeper Noah Atubolu produced a stunning save to tip Rodrigo Zalazar’s spot‑kick around the post.
After the match, a Braga official said, “We knew Freiburg would be dangerous, but the penalty save could have changed the game. Thankfully, we kept believing.”
Freiburg, playing in a European semi‑final for the first time, grew in confidence after the break. They pushed forward and looked the more likely team to score for much of the second half.
But deep into stoppage time, Braga struck again. Dorgeles, who had come off the bench, met a cutback from the byeline and fired home to spark wild celebrations among the 27,161 fans in attendance.
Braga captain Ricardo Horta had to leave the pitch with an injury midway through the first half, which the home side described as “a big blow, but the team showed strong character.”
The second leg will be played at Freiburg’s Europa‑Park stadium on Thursday, 7 May. The winner of the tie will face either Nottingham Forest or Aston Villa in the final in Istanbul on Wednesday, 20 May.
