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And that's all for now! Thank you so much for watching this Allianz Cup match, with all the action and excitement in real time here on VAVEL! Stay tuned for updates and upcoming games. Good afternoon and see you next time!
Key moments
End of match
Braga are in the final! In the first half, Braga took the lead, winning 2-0, with goals from Pau Víctor and Rodrigo Zalazar. In the second half, Pavlidis reduced the deficit, and Lagerbielke sealed the victory, securing Braga's qualification for the Allianz Cup final with a 3-1 win!
Added time
Otamendi received a yellow card for a hard foul. Then, for dissent, he received a second yellow, leaving Benfica with one less player for the final whistle! We will have six more minutes of added time in the match.
OUT
After the goal, Braga made a substitution, with Zalazar leaving and Gabriel Moscardo entering. Immediately afterwards, from a Prestianni cross, Pavlidis rose higher than the defense and headed powerfully, but sent the ball wide to the right of the goal!
Goal for Braga
On the right, Braga had a free kick, taken into the box, deflected in the ensuing scramble, with Trubin parrying the ball, and on the rebound, Lagerbielke appeared in the six-yard box, sending the ball into the back of the net, extending Braga's lead!
Hornicek
Fran Navarro received a yellow card for a hard foul. Following that, Benfica made another substitution, with Aursnes leaving and Ivanovic entering. Richard Rios received the pass at the edge of the area and shot powerfully, but Hornicek palmed the ball away!
Yellow cards
Immediately after the goal, Benfica made a substitution, with Suydakov leaving and Cabral entering. Shortly after, Prestianni received a yellow card for a hard foul. And then it was Lagerbielke's turn to receive a yellow card.
Goal for Benfica
Pavlidis received the pass up front and was brought down, winning a penalty for Benfica! Pavlidis stepped up to take the penalty and calmly slotted it into the middle of the goal, without much power, with Hornicek diving to his right to make it 2-1!
Changes in Braga
We now have three substitutions on Braga's side, with Carvalho, Dorgeles and Pau Víctor leaving and Fran Navarro, Gómez and Paulo Oliveira entering. Benfica continues to press high, trying to create danger in attack, looking to reduce the deficit.
Hornicek
Zalazar received the pass and crossed to Víctor, who deflected the ball, sending it into Trubin's hands. Shortly after, Sudakov took a powerful shot, sending the ball into Hornicek's hands. Benfica continues to try to press high!
Yellow card and change
At halftime, Benfica made a substitution, with Manu Silva leaving and Prestianni entering. Right from the start, Benfica began pressing high, with Sudakov taking a powerful shot, but it went wide. Shortly after, Vitor Carvalho received a yellow card for a hard foul.
Second half starts
The players are back on the field and the second half of the match between Benfica and Braga is underway, with all the action and excitement in real time here on VAVEL, in this Allianz Cup Semifinal clash!
End of first half
In a fast-paced first half, Braga managed to convert their chances to take a 2-0 lead, with goals from Rodrigo Zalazar and Pau Víctor, securing a great advantage in their quest to clinch a place in the Allianz Cup final!
Added time
We'll have four more minutes of added time. Shortly after, following a mistake by Dahl, Zalazar got the ball and found Ricardo Horta with a powerful pass from the edge of the box, sending the ball wide to the left of the goal!
Clear the defense
Aursnes received the pass and crossed for Barreiro to attempt a deflection, but Arrey-Mbi cleared the ball away. The game continues at a slow pace, with Benfica dominating possession, but Braga are defending deep and haven't conceded a good yet.
Yellow card
Shortly before the goal, Hornicek received a yellow card for delaying the goal kick. The game slowed down after the second goal, with Benfica trying to press in attack but failing to create scoring opportunities.
Goal for Braga
Zalazar received the pass on the right and left Sudakov behind, managing to get past Dahl to enter the area on the right and, face to face with the goalkeeper, shoot hard into the top corner, extending Braga's lead away from home!
Out
Richard Ríos found Aursnes with a through ball, who controlled it and shot powerfully from outside the box, sending the ball over the goal and wide. Benfica, after conceding the goal, are pressing and trying to create danger in the attacking third.
Goal for Braga
Rodrigo Zalazar received the pass on the right, made a run and crossed to Pau Víctor, who controlled the ball in the box, beat the defender and shot powerfully into the right corner, sending the ball into the back of the net and opening the scoring for Braga!
OUT
Leandro Barreiro received the pass and found Pavlidis up front, who set it up for Richard Ríos to shoot powerfully from distance, but sending the ball wide to the left of the goal, once again out! Benfica returns to the attacking threat!
Yellow card
Zalazar made a great play at the edge of the area, being brought down by Otamendi, resulting in a penalty! VAR reviewed the play and saw that the foul actually occurred outside the area, right on the line! Zalazar took the free kick, but the ball hit the wall.
Hornicek
The first big chance of the game came from Benfica, where Dedic received the pass and crossed for Pavlidis to deflect the ball, Hornicek to parry it away, and on the rebound, Sudakov arrived and shot hard, with Hornicek parrying the ball away once again!
Here we go
The players are taking to the pitch and the ball is rolling for Benfica vs Braga, in these first 45 minutes of the single-leg Allianz Cup Semifinal, with all the action and excitement in real time here on VAVEL!
Allianz Cup Titles!
Benfica is the most successful club in the history of the Allianz Cup with eight titles, won in 2008-09, 09-10, 10-11, 11-12, 13-14, 14-15, 15-16 and 24-25, placing them ahead of Sporting, with four titles. Braga follows closely behind with three titles, won in 12-13, 19-20 and 23-24.
The other semifinal
In the other semifinal match, Sporting, who beat Alverca in the quarterfinals, faced Vitória, who eliminated Porto with a 5-1 victory in the quarterfinals. Vitória then won the semifinal 2-1, advancing to the grand final!
Retrospect - part 4
Finally, we have a matchup that always promises goals, where Benfica has a high average of 2.27 goals per game, totaling 373 goals in the history of the rivalry, while Braga averages 0.9 per game, with 148 goals scored.
Retrospect - part 3
Braga, playing at home, has hosted Benfica 79 times, with 18 wins, 20 draws, and 41 losses, in a matchup that has shown imbalance throughout. In the Allianz Cup, they played seven matches, with four wins, one draw, and two losses.
Retrospect - part 2
At home, Benfica have hosted Braga 80 times, accumulating 62 wins, 13 draws, and five losses in that matchup alone. In the Allianz Cup, they have faced each other eight times as hosts, with seven wins and only one loss.
Retrospect - part 1
There have been 163 matches in history between the two teams, with 105 wins for Benfica, 25 for Braga, and 33 draws. In the Portuguese Cup, as will be the case today, there have been 16 matches in history, with nine wins for Benfica, six for Braga, and one draw.
Braga's bench
For tonight's game, Carlos Vicens will have the following players available to use against Benfica: Tiago Sá, Paulo Oliveira, Victor Gómez, Gabriel Martínez, Diego Rodrigues, Gabriel Moscardo, Yanis da Rocha, Jean-Baptiste Gorby and Fran Navarro.
Benfica's bench
For tonight's game, José Mourinho will have the following players to use during the match against Braga: Diogo Ferreira, Gonçalo Oliveira, Sidny Lopes Cabral, José Neto, João Rego, Gianluca Prestianni, Diogo Prioste, Franjo Ivanovic and Schjelderup.
Braga lined-up!
With a 3-4-3 formation, Braga's starting lineup for tonight's Allianz Cup match will be: Hornicek, Lagerbielke, Carvalho and Arrey-Mbi; Dorgeles, Grillitsch, João Moutinho and Lelo; Zalazar, Ricardo Horta and Victor.
Benfica lined-up!
With a 4-3-3 formation, Benfica's starting lineup for tonight's Allianz Cup match against Braga is as follows: Trubin, Dedic, Araújo, Otamendi and Dahl; Silva, Richard Ríos, Aursnes, Barreiro and Sudakov; Pavlidis.
Welcome!
We are now live streaming Benfica vs Braga, with all the action and excitement in real time from the Allianz Cup Semifinal, with the ball rolling shortly at the Estádio da Luz, in this match that will decide who goes to the Allianz Cup final!
