Braga 2-1 Freiburg highlights: Mario Dorgeles hits 92nd-minute winner in Europa League semi-final first leg

Substitute Mario Dorgeles pounced in the 92nd minute as Braga beat Freiburg at home in a keenly contested UEFA Europa League semi-final first leg.

Match in brief: Braga bag late win

Braga had scored three of their preceding five knockout stage home goals inside the first 16 minutes, so it was perhaps unsurprising when Demir Ege Tıknaz prodded the Portuguese side ahead in the eighth minute, reacting quickest to Victor Gómez's low cross.

Vincenzo Grifo had put Freiburg ahead after ten minutes of their quarter-final tie against Celta, and the captain took only 16 to score this time with a composed finish when Jan-Niklas Beste charged clear on the right, entered the box and found the winger for his third goal in four Europa League games.

Having been pegged back, the depleted hosts lost Ricardo Horta – scorer of four goals during their campaign – to injury in the 25th minute, but only a superb save from Noah Atubolu denied them the lead on the stroke of half-time.

Noah Atubolu springs to save Rodrigo Zalazar's penalty on the stroke of half-timeAFP via Getty Images

Germany Under-21 international Atubolu turned Rodrigo Zalazar's fierce penalty away at full stretch, ensuring the visitors started what proved to be an even second half level in their first European semi-final.

The Bundesliga club threatened to take the lead when Maximilian Eggestein forced a fine save from Lukáš Horníček but Mario Dorgeles – who had replaced Horta – kept his cool to produce the 92nd-minute winner, striking from close range after Atubolu could not hold Vitor Carvalho's shot.

Inês de Oliveira Martins, match reporter

Braga made the sharper start and led through Demir Ege Tıknaz, but Freiburg responded quickly and Vincenzo Grifo swiftly brought the visitors level before Noah Atubolu's crucial penalty save just before the break. The second half was tighter, with Braga pushing and Freiburg holding their shape in a game of limited chances and plenty of suspense. Just as it seemed set to finish level, Braga struck late to edge ahead in the tie.

Key stats

• This was the first meeting between Braga and Freiburg.
• Braga have won six of their last eight European matches against German teams (D1 L1).
• They have avoided defeat in seven of their nine European home games against German opposition (W4 D3) and are unbeaten in their last five matches (W4 D1).
• This is Braga's second major European semi‑final, the first coming in the 2010/11 Europa League, when they advanced to the final on away goals against Benfica after a 2-2 aggregate draw.
• The last time a Portuguese club reached a European semi-final was during the 2013/14 Europa League, when Benfica beat Juventus 2-1 on aggregate.
• The fixture was Braga's 100th match in the Europa League proper – more than any other club.
• The Portuguese team have won 14 and lost two of their last 20 European matches and won 13 of their last 17 at home (D2 L2).
• Freiburg's only previous European meetings with Portuguese opposition came against Estoril Praia during the 2013/14 Europa League group stage, drawing 1-1 at home and 0-0 away.
• They are the 18th different German club to reach the semi‑finals in the competition, four more clubs than any other nation. England have provided the second-most teams at this stage (14).

Reaction

Carlos Vicens, Braga coach: "You can’t expect an easy game in a Europa League semi-final. The team made a strong start, scored first and then went through some difficulties. We lost our captain and had to make a substitution in the first half, and adjust a few things. We conceded after an unlucky situation and a misunderstanding between our players. We missed a penalty that could have given us an advantage. So the team showed a lot of resilience, belief in the process and confidence in each other. These guys are a real team."

João Moutinho, Braga midfielder: "We tried to impose our game against an excellent team who were very strong physically. We leave here with a deserved win, for what we did on the pitch and the chances we created. We stayed true to what we’ve worked on throughout the season and what the coach asks of us. We imposed our game – a game of possession and control, creating chances in open play, from pass to pass. We know Freiburg are very strong at home. We need to keep the same spirit and the same belief we have shown so far."

Pau Víctor, Braga forward: "We played a very good game with a lot of personality against a team that presses very high. We knew how to find the free man. We have to play with a lot of personality [at Freiburg] to [reach the final] in Istanbul. We have a very good squad with players who can play in many positions and several options when someone is unavailable. We don't have indispensable players – that's our secret."

Vincenzo Grifo scores his fifth goal of the campaign to level for FreiburgAFP via Getty Images

Julian Schuster, Freiburg coach: "The start and the end were not good for us. Braga scored very early but we responded and after our goal we had good stability. The second half was OK and we had the better chances to score again. It’s hard to concede so late, but we remain positive for the second leg. The team have the quality to come back. With our supporters behind us and playing at home, we have the confidence to deliver a better performance and win."

Noah Atubolu, Freiburg goalkeeper: "Nothing's over yet. We've made it difficult for ourselves because we lacked the energy at the end. The way Braga played it out [for the winner] was far too easy. That wouldn't have happened to us at the beginning. The problem was that I couldn't see the ball. I think it was Philipp Lienhart who was almost in front of me or next to me. I just barely saw [the ball], got my hands up and pushed it away."

Maximilian Eggestein, Freiburg midfielder: "In a game like this, if you concede early, the opposition can be out of sight. We prevented that, but it's frustrating that we lost. The game was slightly in our favour in the second half, in my opinion, and we had a lot of control until the 70th or 75th minute. You can't concede that [decisive] goal. We were worthy of a draw. We've repeatedly emphasised that it's half-time in the tie, whether we'd won or lost. We'll be ready for them at our stadium."

Braga: Horníček; Victor Gómez, Carvalho, Paulo Oliveira, Lagerbielke; Demir Ege Tıknaz, João Moutinho, Gorby; Zalazar (Navarro 72), Pau Victor, Horta (Dorgeles 25)

Freiburg: Atubolu; Treu, Ginter, Lienhart, Makengo; Eggestein, Manzambi; Beste, Suzuki (Höler 81), Grifo (Scherhant 81); Matanović