On Thursday evening, the first UEFA Europa League sixteenth-final ended. In it, "Braga" football players secured a ticket to the next stage of the tournament.
True, in the match that took place at home, the Portuguese team played a draw 2-2 with "Sion," but the final victory was guaranteed to the hosts with a 2-1 win in Switzerland.
The guests of Braga seemed superior already from the first minutes, and in the sixteenth minute after Ebenezer Assifuah's pass, Theofanis Gekas scored with a great shot. However, the response did not take long to wait, and the score became equal already after 27 minutes thanks to Josue's penalty.
Gekas put his team ahead just a few moments after his second goal, where he successfully dropped the ball. After the second goal by the Greek player, the situation became such that more goals would have to be scored to play overtime.
Nevertheless, at the beginning of the second half, Nikola Stojiljkovič became the hero of "Braga," taking advantage of a great pass from Rafa Silva.
Although the fans gathered at Braga's stadium saw another serious opportunity, the match ended 2-2.
Result:
"Braga" (2 - 1) 2 - 2 "Sion"
[0-1] 16' Theofanis Gekas
[1-1] 27' Josue (from the penalty spot)
[1-2] 29' Theofanis Gekas
[2-2] 48' Nikola Stojiljkovič
