Goals and Highlights Benfica vs Braga in Portuguese Cup (3-2)

Braga comes from behind, but Benfica wins and advances in the Portuguese Cup

João Moutinho (Braga) tries a through ball, but the opponent blocks the attempt and prevents it from going in.

We'll have five minutes of extra time.

João Neves (Benfica) concedes a free-kick after a rough tackle. Referee Nuno Almeida saw the whole thing. Braga wins a free-kick.

Orkun Kokcu (Benfica) curls in a free-kick from very close range. The ball flies towards the middle of the goal but is blocked by Lukas Hornicek with a save!

Artur Jorge prepares a substitution. Cristian Borja makes way for Andre Horta (Braga).

Rodrigo Zalazar Martinez (Braga) picks up a rebound on the edge of the box and fires towards the left corner, but Anatoliy Trubin gets to it and keeps it out.

Angel Di Maria (Benfica) takes a bad free-kick from medium range and the ball is easily blocked by the wall.

The ball is cleared by the defense to the edge of the box, where João Moutinho (Braga) hits it first time towards goal. Unfortunately for him, his shot is wide of the right post.

A substitution is made. Roger Fernandes (Braga) joins the action from the bench, replacing Vitor Carvalho.

Angel Di Maria (Benfica) swings in the corner with a right-footed shot from the centre of the box, but one of the defenders sees it coming and clears the danger.

BENFICA! Goal! Arthur Cabral sets Fredrik Aursnes up on the edge of the box and he fires his shot into the left-hand corner. 3:2.

Rodrigo Zalazar Martinez (Braga) tries to beat the goalkeeper with a free-kick that is precise and dangerous from close range. But Anatoliy Trubin pulls off a superb save to keep the ball out.

Nicolas Otamendi (Benfica) brings down his opponent with a challenge. Nuno Almeida stops the game and only gives a verbal warning instead of a card. Braga takes a free-kick from a promising position.

Cristian Borja (Braga) sends a cross into the box, but it's too close to Anatoliy Trubin, who handles the ball.

Ricardo Horta (Braga) wasted a good opportunity. From the edge of the box, with plenty of space around him, he fires a great shot towards the right corner. But the goalkeeper pulls off a brilliant save to keep it out! Braga swings in the corner.

Arthur Cabral (Benfica) finds himself with space on the edge of the box and rifles a beautiful shot towards the right corner of the goal, but Lukas Hornicek uses both hands to make a great save.

Nicolas Otamendi (Benfica) is frowned at by Angel Di Maria. He misplaced a pass inside the box, sending the ball just wide of the far post.

Rodrigo Zalazar Martinez (Braga) unleashes a free-kick from distance that ends up somewhere in the stands.

BRAGA! It's in the back of the net and Rodrigo Zalazar Martinez is the one to change the score: 2-2!

Ball rolling for Benfica-Braga in the Portuguese Cup

The end of the first half and a 2-1 win for Benfica against Braga.

Serdar Saatci (Braga) played with great ferocity and broke the rules with his tackle. Referee Nuno Almeida didn't miss a beat and blew the whistle. Benfica wins a free-kick.

We'll have 4 minutes overtime

BENFICA! Arthur Cabral's fine individual effort ends with a shot from inside the area. He sends the ball low into the center of the goal and changes the score to 2:1. Lukas Hornicek could do little.

BENFICA! GOAL! Great work from Orkun Kokcu, who played a crucial role in the build-up. He crossed for Rafa Silva, who beat Lukas Hornicek with a shot into the right corner. 1:1.

Rodrigo Zalazar Martinez (Braga) takes a free-kick into the box, but it's easily cleared by a defender.

The yellow card was deserved. The tackle on Morato (Benfica) was very harsh and Nuno Almeida didn't hesitate to show the yellow card.

João Neves (Benfica) seems to be okay after the scare.

Rafa Silva (Benfica) receives a long pass from deep, but Lukas Hornicek deserves all the credit for his brilliant reaction to it.

Angel Di Maria (Benfica) takes a corner kick too hard and none of his team-mates can get a header away. The ball is now out of play and it's a goal-kick for Braga.

Braga can't find a way to score from a long-range free-kick as Anatoliy Trubin (Benfica) rises high to intercept the cross.

Arthur Cabral (Benfica) right footed shot from the centre of the box is well blocked by the defender.

Serdar Saatci hasn't suffered a serious injury that would prevent him from taking part in the match. He's back in the game.

Serdar Saatci is clearly asking for medical attention because of his painful movement. Let's find out how serious the injury is.

Benfica can't find a way to score from the free-kick as Lukas Hornicek rises high to intercept the cross.

Orkun Kokcu's free-kick is intercepted by Lukas Hornicek.

Ricardo Horta leapt into the box to meet the corner and head it high across goal, but the goalkeeper pulled off an impressive save to prevent him from scoring. The ball went out of play and Braga had the chance to score from the corner.

Antonio Silva almost creates a good chance, but his attempt to set up a teammate with a pass through the middle of the defense doesn't work out as expected. A missed opportunity. João Neves gets to the rebound inside the area and finishes the ball to the right of the goal.

Fredrik Aursnes produces a quality pass into the box. However, the opposing defense takes the ball and bundles it away. Benfica swings in the corner.

BRAGA! And it's an own goal! Joao Mario beats his own goalkeeper to open the scoring: 1-0.

Victor Gomez came close to changing the scoreline when he made a great individual run and then fired a promising shot from the edge of the box. The ball was heading for the bottom right corner, but Anatoliy Trubin showed all his agility and made the save. The ball went out of play and Braga won the corner.

Rony Lopes takes a hard tackle and the referee blows the whistle.

Joao Mario decides to send a cross over the top to find one of his teammates. The opposing defense prevents the danger by taking the ball.

Ball rolling for Benfica v Braga

This match will also act as a fifth set for both teams: Roger Schmidt won two league matches against Artur Jorge's SC Braga, Artur Jorge's SC Braga inflicted the first defeat of the Schmidt era on Benfica and also knocked the Reds out of the Portuguese Cup last season. 

There is therefore a showdown at stake, a tie-breaker in relation to the direct confrontations between the teams of these two coaches.

In Portuguese Cup matches at Luz, Benfica have won six out of seven. SC Braga were victorious on December 18, 2014.

As the home side and in a very good run of form, Benfica tend to take control of the match in the first half, and have managed to turn that into goals. That's because they've now won five games in a row and conceded at least one in the first 45 minutes, and in such an important match, it shouldn't be any different. Therefore, an educated guess is for the Reds to score a goal in the first half.

Braga have no players suspended or injured for this match, but they won't be able to count on defender Niakaté and striker Simon Banza, who have been called up for the African Cup of Nations. José Fonte and Spaniard Abel Ruiz are likely to play.

Braga are fourth in the Portuguese league with 33 points, behind Sporting (40), Benfica (39) and Porto (35). In the Portuguese Cup, the country club reached the last 16 after eliminating Rebordosa and Portimonense 2-0 and 4-1 respectively. Braga's last title in the competition was in 2020/2021, the third in the club's history.

For this match, Benfica will be without full-backs Alexander Bah and Juan Bernat, midfielder André Gomes and striker Casper Tengstedt. Also injured is Brazilian striker David Neres. The German coach will therefore be able to call on other Brazilians such as strikers Marcos Leonardo, bought from Santos this year, and Arthur Cabral. In defense, he can call on defenders João Victor and Morato.

Benfica are the competition's biggest winners, with 26 titles to their name. However, the Reds haven't been champions since the 2016/2017 season. Since then, Benfica have seen four different teams lift the trophy. As such, there is a certain focus in Lisbon on winning the title.

In the previous rounds, Benfica eliminated Lusitânia dos Açores and Famalicão, winning 4-1 and 2-0 respectively. The club, it's worth remembering, hasn't lost in ten games, with five wins in a row. However, Sporting are top of the Portuguese league.

Benfica came from behind to win the previous round. They overcame Famalicão with a 2-0 win in normal time. Braga, on the other hand, came from behind to beat Portimonense 4-1.

Lukas, Victor Gómez, Paulo Oliveira, Serdar, Borja, Vítor Carvalho, João Moutinho, Zalazar, Rony Lopes, Ricardo Horta, Abel Ruiz

Trubin, Aursnes, António Silva, Otamendi, Morato, João Neves, Kökçü, Di María, Rafa, João Mário, Arthur Cabral

Braga, who are dreaming of winning the championship four times, hope to surprise their opponents and show that they are strong enough to knock out one of the favorites.

Looking to regain the glory of the competition after five years without winning the trophy, Benfica, who remain the tournament's all-time champions, will have the support of their fans if they are to qualify.

This Wednesday (10/01), Benfica face Braga in a match that will kick off at 17:45 (Brasília time) / 20:45 (Lisbon time) at the Estádio da Luz in Lisbon. The match will be valid for the round of 16 of the Portuguese Cup.

One hour to go until Benfica-Braga in the Portuguese Cup

Benfica - Braga

Portuguese Cup

Date: January 10, 2023

Time: 3:45 pm ET

Venue: Estádio da Luz, located in Lisbon, Portugal

Broadcast: Star+

One of the great clashes in Portuguese soccer, the teams have met 157 times between the country's main competitions and also in the Europa League, with the numbers favoring the team from the capital. Benfica have won 101 times to Braga's 25, with a further 31 draws. As a result, the Reds have scored far more goals, 359 to the Minho Warriors' 140.

The match between Benfica and Braga will kick off at 3:45 pm ET at the Estádio da Luz, in Portugal, in the Portuguese Cup 2023/24. You can watch it all here on VAVEL Brasil.

Anatoliy Trubin; Fredrik Aursnes, António Silva, Nicolás Otamendi, Morato; Orkun Kokçu, João Neves; Ángel Di María, Rafa Silva, João Mário; Arthur Cabral.

Matheus Magalhães; Víctor Gómez , Serdar Saatci, José Fonte, Cristián Borja; Vitor Carvalho, João Moutinho; Rony Lopes, Rodrigo Zalazar, Ricardo Horta; Abel Ruiz. 

One of Benfica's main stars, Rafa Silva is the player who should be able to stand out easily in the Portuguese Cup match against Braga. The player has been in top form in recent matches, with four assists and two goals in the last three games, most notably against Famalicão. The hosts won 3-0 on Wednesday, with Rafa scoring one and assisting the other two.

At the very least, it will be a great game. Despite not being at their best in big games, Braga have the qualities to spring a surprise. They've won five of their last six away games. However, Benfica are in an even more dominant phase, being extremely regular in front of their own fans. So even though it's a tough game, Benfica have the upper hand in this match.

Braga know that they don't have the upper hand in this knockout round. They are also fighting the habit of not being able to show their best form in the big games. But records are made to be broken and soccer allows bad luck to surprise. And Braga have the technical qualities and a consistent season to have enough reason to be confident of springing a surprise.

Braga come into this match unbeaten in three matches. However, the draw on the last matchday in a direct clash against Vitória de Guimarães tasted like defeat. After all, they had beaten their rivals 1-0 at home until the second half when they conceded the equalizer. Despite not having any worrying defensive figures, the club has conceded goals in its last six games. However, it's worth noting their excellent recent record as visitors - they've won 5 of their last 6 games.
 

Certainly, if they had the choice, Benfica would be willing to face another opponent, as they would theoretically have other more accessible teams in this knockout round. However, Benfica are one of the country's giants and although they respect their opponents in this round of 16, they play at home, are more experienced, have more strength in depth and qualities, as well as dominance in recent history against them. In other words, if Benfica can impose their natural rhythm, they have a great chance of qualifying.

In addition, if the historical incentives weren't enough, the timing is also more favorable for the Reds. After all, they've been undefeated for a long time and have won five in a row. As well as having an extremely impressive attack, Benfica remain defensively sound. For example, they haven't conceded a goal in 3 of their last 4 matches. On the road, Benfica are still very strong. They have won 4 of their last 6 games, remaining unbeaten in this stretch.

The match between Benfica and Braga is valid for the 3rd round of the Portuguese Cup 2023/24.

Benfica are the odds-on favorites to win this Wednesday's match. The club has five unbeaten wins to its name, especially in the last two meetings, both of which it won 3-0. The club also won the last two matches against this round's opponents, 1-0 in both.

And as previously mentioned, the two most recent games between the clubs ended not only with Benfica winning, but with the score ending 1-0 in both. There's a good chance that this scoreline will be repeated, even more so given that the last meeting took place just three rounds ago in the Portuguese League. In all, he has scored in three of Benfica's last five games, and he was the only player to score in the last two games against Braga.

The match takes place in the Portuguese Cup championship of Portugal on January 10, 2023 at the Estádio da Luz in Lisbon, Portugal.

Olá, amante do futebol! Agora é momento de partida decisiva da entre duas equipes: de um lado o Benfica. Enquanto do outro lado está a equipe do Braga. Acompanhe tudo do duelo entre os times aqui, no tempo real da VAVEL Brasil.