Europa League Full Time Report: http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/FC-Porto-c39186 vs Braga – Part 1
FC Porto and Braga travelled to the Aviva Stadium, to face off in what was set to be the first ever, all-Portuguese Europa League final.
Porto were going into the match on a high, after having cruised through their domestic season and winning the Portuguese league with ease. At the same time, the http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Radamel-Falcao-c30276 looked to be heading into the final at the peak of his form. The striker had already
scored 16 goals in the competition and in doing so he had beaten the European record that was once held by Juergen Klinnsman.
Braga on the other hand were not looking to be pushed over far too easily. The team had proven their worth in the tournament as they had already managed to beat the likes of Benfica, http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Liverpool-c39809 and Dynamo Kiev during the course of the Europa League this season.
The team was also close to being the exact opposite to Porto, as they believed in a much more in a systematic approach to their play, as compared to Porto’s flashy offense.
Porto were no new face to European competitions as they had managed to secure a Champions League trophy in 2003 under the management of Jose Mourinho, previously. Andre Villas-Boas was looking to repeat the same success in his first season in charge of the
team and on paper he looked more than likely to achieve that feat.
After much anticipation, things finally got underway with Porto kicking things off. Porto looked to be the livelier of the two teams early on, as they were looking to break at Braga from the very first minute of the game.
In just the 3rd minute, Guarin went on slide a through ball for Falcao. However, the attempted pass had a little extra weight on it and was claimed by the Braga keeper with ease.
In the 4th minute, Braga went on to create a chance of their own. A long throw was dropped into the Porto box and after being cleared poorly, it was played into a dangerous area once again. Custodio ran on to the pass, but his half-volley managed
to sail just wide of the mark.
Continued in Part 2
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