SION HIT THE CROSSBAR! Braga are wanting to waste as much time as possible now, with gestures being made towards taking the ball up the corner. The visitors respond, however, with Rufli rattling a venomous and curling strike onto the woodwork! So close!
90' +2
André Pinto enters the game and replaces Koka.
Substitution Ahmed Hassan Mahgoub André Almeida Pinto
90' +1
From the resulting corner, there is a brief bit of pinball, but the hosts eventually clear their lines. There are four minutes of stoppage time.
90'
Great hands from Matheus! The Braga goalkeeper is quick off his line to pounce on a deflected Zeman cross, with Mujangi Bia being frustrated by the shot-stopper. A vital contribution! Moments later, the same ex-Wolves man is thwarted, with a block sending his long-range shot looping over the crossbar and behind for a corner.
88'
M. Zeman enters the game and replaces T. Gekas.
Gekas is withdrawn for the away side, after making an important two-goal contribution tonight. Zeman comes into the fray, sporting a rather bold pink hair-style.
86'
We're into the final five minutes at Estadio AXA, with Braga edging their way into the next round of the Europa League as it stands. Sion try to use Carlitos to break down the left flank, but Luiz Carlos commits a cynical foul as a result. The free-kick delivery is whipped in, but causes no problems for the hosts.
84'
Braga are more than happy to sit back in their shape, with Sion having a lot of work to do if they are to muster up a winning goal. Ferreira and Boly have been strong in the air, with Luiz Carlos and Pedro Santos trying to lead breaks with direct running.
82'
Sion spread play out to the right-hand side, but a low, fizzing cross is cut out vitally by Ferreira! Braga are clearly now thinking about shutting up shop, with Fonseca ensuring that his line-up has enough energy in the midfield third.
81'
Rui Fonte enters the game and replaces N. Stojiljković.
Rui Fonte is introduced for the final 10 minutes, with Stojiljkovic withdrawn after missing a few half chances.
80'
Close for Braga! The home side work their way down the left-hand side, before angling a cross into the box. Stojiljkovic is there to try and stab home a close-range finish, but the Serbian striker can only see a deflected attempt swirl into way just beyond the far post.
Minute
Description
78'
Boly concedes a corner on the right-hand side, which is met by a near-post flick! Somehow, the ball skirts its way beyond several pairs of Sion legs, with nobody present to bundle home a close-range strike.
76'
G. Mujangi Bia enters the game and replaces E. Assifuah.
Assifuah is withdrawn for the away outfit, with Mujangi Bia injected into the fray as fresh legs.
75'
Edmilson drives into midfield, before sweeping possession out to the left-hand side. Konate is the target of a curling cross from Jagne, but Ferreira gets across well to frustrate the Sion forward. Time is beginning to run out for the visitors.
73'
Matheus gets some brief treatment, but the Braga goalkeeper should be okay to continue for now. Sion respond by breaking down the right-hand side, but a poor diagonal from the right flank is headed away by Boly. The away side are asking all of the questions at the moment.
71'
We're into the final 20 minutes at Estadio AXA, with Jagne threatening down the left flank yet again. The left-back drives beyond one man, before Luiz Carlos mops up with a strong challenge. This contest is very delicately poised now.
69'
Gekas somehow avoids a yellow card, with the 35-year-old forward diving into an incredibly poorly timed challenge. Moments later, Sion break up the other end, with Jagne curling in a teasing delivery! The left-back's ball forces a very hurried clearance from Goiano, with Matheus having had to be quick to get down to deny Edmilson seconds earlier.
67'
Braga whip in a corner from the left-hand side, but it sails out of the danger area and towards the back post. A second delivery is curled in, but Ferreira can only flick a terribly guided header wide of the far upright! Sion respond with a counter, but the same hosts' defender recovers to make a defensive intervention.
65'
Rafa Silva drives into the penalty area and beyond Jagne, with the Sion left-back appearing to have a nibble at the young wide man! Instead of going down, the Portuguese forward tries to stay on his feet, but is unable to keep the ball in at the byline.
63'
Pedro Santos comes into the fray, with Josue immediately hooked off after picking up a cynical yellow card.
62'
Pedro Santos enters the game and replaces Josué.
Josué gets yellow.
Josue picks up a caution, with the Braga midfielder obviously tugging on the shirt of Carlitos.
60'
The final half an hour could see either of these sides progress into the next round. Sion try to break down the right-hand side, but an overcooked pass that was looking for Assifuah heads straight out for a goal-kick. Matheus takes the kick, with the goalkeeper not having much to do thus far.
58'
Josue drives forward at pace, before attempting to scoop a through ball into Koka! The danger is half cleared, but the Egyptian striker manages to force a save out of Vanins! One more goal for the hosts could well seal Sion's departure from the Europa League.
56'
Carlitos breaks down the left-hand side, but the Portuguese midfielder isn't given the space required to shoot! Moments later, Assifuah breaks into the penalty box, but Boly steps out to concede a corner for the hosts. The former delivers, but Luiz Carlos rises well to flick a header out of harm's way.
54'
Gekas is fed possession inside the opposition penalty area, before turning smartly away from his man, but the Greek forward is caught offside! That's the first time that Sion have looked at all dangerous in the second half.
52'
The home side are currently ahead on aggregate, but Sion haven't really come into this second half firing. Tholot is looking a little frustrated in his technical area, with Braga seeing the majority of possession at present. Moments later, Koka is nearly found running in behind enemy lines, but Vanins is quick out to collect the danger.
50'
Braga are on the offensive again, with Koka found in space down the left-hand side! The Egyptian forward leaves a defender in his wake, before rifling a low shot across the goalkeeper! The ball zips off the turf and just beyond the far post!
48'
N. Stojiljković has scored a goal for Sporting Braga! Assist by Rafa.
GOOOOOOOOOOOOOAL! BRAGA MAKE IT 2-2! The hosts work the ball up from right-back, with possession then finding Rafa Silva in the box! The Portuguese winger lifts a cross towards the penalty spot, with Stojiljkovic cushioning home a lovely finish!
Silva lifts a well-weighted cross into a very dangerous area.
46'
We are back underway in the second half! Gekas' double is keeping Swiss hopes alive at present, but the visitors might have to find the back of the net again to make things more interesting.
45'
Jagne heads away a dangerous cross, but Braga pick up the scraps. Baiano tries to whip in a delivery of his own, but Vanczak does well to volley a composed clearance upfield. There will only be one minute of stoppage time.
43'
Only a few minutes remain in the first half, with Tholot feverishly dishing out instructions to his player. Braga just can't seem to counter at any real pace, with Sion blunting their opponent's attack by simply keeping a lot of bodies behind the ball.
41'
EDMILSON CLIPS THE POST! The Sion midfielder takes aim from around 25 yards out, before hammering a low drive in search of the bottom-left corner! Matheus was scrambling, but will have been relieved to hear the ball kiss off the foot of the upright, before thudding into the advertising hoardings behind his goal.
39'
Braga just can't seem to find a final ball at present, with Baiano and Goiano overlapping with limited success. Sion's back four are relatively strong in the air, with the hosts perhaps needing to play into their striker's feet a little more often to get the ball to stick in better areas of the field.
37'
Braga are enjoying the majority of possession at the moment, with Rafa Silva then spraying possession out to the right-hand side. A cross is whipped in by Baiano, but Vanczak rises well to power a header away from the danger area.
35'
Only 10 minutes remain until the half-time break, with the next goal in this contest proving to be absolutely vital. As it stands, the aggregate scoreline is 3-3, with both outfits having scored a similar amount of away goals. If Sion bag another, then things could get very interesting indeed.
33'
The away outfit are more than happy to sit deep and invite pressure on, with Konate being left to chase lost causes up top. Stoiljkovic is picked out by a diagonal from the right, but the Serbian striker can only divert a powerful header straight at Vanins!
31'
The complexion of this game has totally changed now! Sion have two away goals, with the hosts having to now play catch-up if they are to progress into the next round. Braga have a lot of work to do in order to put this game to bed early on.
29'
T. Gekas has scored a goal for Sion!
GOOOOOOOOOAL! GEKAS HAS ANOTHER! Boly commits a cheap foul around 25 yards from his own goal, but the attempted free-kick is thumped into the wall! Sion keep the pressure on, with a flicked header forcing a save out of Matheus, but the Greek poacher is on hand to scramble home a scrappy second!
27'
Penalty goal scored by Josué for Sporting Braga!
GOOOOOOOOOOAL! JOSUE MAKES IT 1-1! The Portuguese midfielder waits for the goalkeeper to commit, before slotting a calm finish straight down the middle of the goal! Easy stuff and the hosts are back level on the night.
26'
PENALTY FOR BRAGA! Vanins has yet another set-piece to contend with, as the hosts earn themselves a spot-kick! Josue puts the ball down on the spot.
24'
After the opening goal, this contest has become much more competitive. Sion have come into the contest more, with Braga attempting to fight their way back onto level terms. Ndoye makes a brilliant diving header to deny Stoiljkovic, as the Portuguese outfit continue to bash their head against a brick wall.
22'
Josue tries to whip a cross in from the left flank, with a defender appearing to use his arm to block the ball, but the referee doesn't spot any infringement. Moments later, Baiano tries to angle a well-weighted pass down the line, but Jagne steps out to intercept well.
20'
Vanins is forced to be quick off his line to claim a cross, before releasing Sion on an immediate break down the right-hand side! Assifuah tries to sidestep beyond Goiano, but the Brazilian left-back dispossesses his man with consummate ease.
18'
Despite not having much of the opening minutes, Sion suddenly find themselves in a very interesting position. Another goal could really throw the cat amongst the pigeons tonight. Koka tries to scamper into the box, but Ndoye marshals his marker brilliantly.
16'
T. Gekas has scored a goal for Sion! Assist by E. Assifuah.
Assifuah curls in a very inviting near-post cross, which Gekas finishes off with aplomb.
GOOOOOOOOOAL! GEKAS GRABS THE OPENER! The experienced Greek striker is found in the six-yard box by Assifuah, with the ex-Portsmouth forward flicking a cheeky back-heel inside the near post from close range! 1-0 to Sion!
15'
Sion haven't been able to create anything at all, with Gekas cutting a very isolated figure at the head of the visiting attack. Braga look comfortable, with Matheus having nothing to do thus far. Baiano whips an inviting cross in while overlapping down the right, but Luiz Carlos can't rise to nod home a close-range header.
13'
Konate tries to drive his way down the right, but he is forced back the way he came. Sion then enjoy a slow spell of possession, which ends in a terrible long pass from Vanczak arrowing out of play on the far side. The Hungarian centre-back has had a terrible start to this contest.
11'
Stojilkovic is brought down on the edge of the penalty area, with the Braga forward cynically dragged back. The home side have another chance to make a set-piece count, but a looping back-post delivery can't be squared back into the danger area well by Ferreira. Wasted opportunity yet again, with Jagne doing just enough to put off his man.
10'
V. Vanczák gets yellow.
Vanczak picks up a caution for his second cynical foul within the space of the opening 10 minutes. He will need to be careful now.
9'
Konate is picked out racing down the right flank, but the Senegalese wide man is unable to keep the ball in play at the byline. Braga respond with an attack down the left, but a whipped cross is hooked away from danger fairly easily.
7'
Vanczak commits a cheap foul, with Braga able to load the box with players as a result. The free-kick delivery is curled in by Josue, but Ndoye rises highest to head clear. The hosts are probing for an opening, with the visitors struggling to settle into this contest.
5'
Baiano tries to overlap down the right-hand side, but Jagne stands up physically to his winger to make his life difficult. Sion are on the back foot from the off, with Braga combining well and sending sweeping passes out wide to open up the play.
3'
Ndoye is forced to give away an early corner, following an attempted cross from Josue. Mauro is picked out at the back post, but the Brazilian midfielder can only send a looping header well within Vanins' grasp!
1'
We are underway in the first half! Sion have some work to do if they are to turn around their 2-1 aggregate disadvantage, with the hosts currently finding themselves in good stead to progress into the next round of the Europa League.
Hello and welcome to Europa League action, as Sporting Braga host FC Sion at Estadio AXA. The hosts have been in good league form recently, but need to translate their top-flight optimism into continental results against the Swiss visitors. While the Portuguese outfit sit in a respectful fourth place in the Primeira, the away side are some way off the domestic pace in Switzerland, as Didier Tholot's men are all the way down in seventh.
The first leg of this round of 32 knock-out tie ended 2-1 to Braga, with the home outfit having a real advantage heading into this evening's action. Rafa Silva and Nikola Stoiljkovic grabbed the goals, with the duo both featuring tonight too. Should the home side net the breakthrough strike tonight, things will suddenly look incredibly difficult for Sion to recover from.
TEAM NEWS: Moussa Konate gets a start, after scoring last time out in this competition, with the experienced Theofanis Gekas chosen to lead the line. Portuguese midfielder Carlitos will start out on the left, with Edmilson Fernandes and Veroljub Salatic posed with anchoring the midfield. Birama Ndoye and Vilmos Vanczak come in as an entirely different eentral-defensive pairing than the one that contributed to the 2-1 defeat against Braga.
TEAM NEWS: Ricardo Ferreira and Willy Boly provide the usual defensive spine for Braga, with Maruo and Luiz Carlos providing a Brazilian partnerhship in the heart of the midfield. Last match's goalscorer Rafa Silva is out on the left-hand side, with Nikola Stoiljkovic and Koka leading the line. Andre Pinto takes a seat on the bench, with no real changes from Paulo Fonseca. Nikola Vukcevic is suspended.
HALF-TIME! The hosts go into the break with a lot of work to do, courtesy of a surprising first-half brace from Sion's Gekas! Josue has responded from the penalty spot, but the outcome of this game remains very much in the balance, with the aggregate scoreline standing at 3-3.
FULL TIME! Braga scrape their way into the next round of the Europa League, courtesy of a 4-3 aggregate win over Sion! On the night, it ended 2-2, courtesy of a brace from Gekas and home goals from Josue and Stojiljkovic. The Portuguese outfit get out of jail somewhat, after an average performance, but the home fans won't care one bit! That's all that we have time for, we hope to see you again next time.
Commentary
More…