A new chapter for Sp. Braga is slowly being written. The team recently beat Panathinaikos, led by Rui Vitória, 2-1 in a pre-season game. This match, the third training session of the summer, gave fans a real peek at what coach Carlos Vicens has planned. It was more than just a friendly; it was a statement of intent.
The game happened in Austria, where Braga is training. Vicens’ blueprint for the coming season was clear. His team played a 4-2-3-1 system. But they built their attacks differently, often using three defenders at the back. They also pressed high up the field, making it hard for their opponents to start plays. Most importantly, their reaction to losing the ball was very impressive. They immediately tried to win it back.
In the first half against the Greek side, a new face stood out. Lagerbielke, a new defender, played a key role. He lined up as a right-back but often moved inside. He joined Paulo Oliveira and Arrey-Mbi when the team passed the ball out from the back. This showed how flexible Vicens wants his players to be.
This quick reaction to losing the ball directly led to Braga’s first goal. Ricardo Horta scored it in the 39th minute. Panathinaikos thought they had recovered the ball inside their own box. But Braga’s players quickly won it back. The ball went to Fran Navarro on the right, who crossed it. Panathinaikos defender Ingason made a poor clearance, and Braga’s captain, Horta, put it into the net.
After halftime, Carlos Vicens made a full team change, bringing on a completely new set of players. Despite the new faces, the team’s core ideas stayed the same. In the 56th minute, El Ouazzani scored Braga’s second goal. He pressed the Panathinaikos goalkeeper, Dragowski, hard. The keeper made a big mistake and literally passed the ball to El Ouazzani. The forward simply chipped the ball over the keeper into an empty net.
Panathinaikos did manage to get one back later in the game. Ioannidis scored in the 71st minute, taking advantage of a defensive mistake by Braga. After that goal, Braga seemed to struggle a bit more. However, they still created chances. They had three fast counter-attacks that could have extended their lead. El Ouazzani missed a clear chance for his second goal when he was all alone in the 88th minute. A minute later, Yanis da Rocha had a chance to shoot but chose to pass to El Ouazzani instead, who had only the goalkeeper to beat.
Sp. Braga’s starting lineup for the game was: Bellaarouch; Lagerbielke, Paulo Oliveira, Arrey-Mbi, and Leonardo Lelo; João Moutinho and Gorby; Sandro Vidigal, Ricardo Horta, and Gharbi; Fran Navarro.
Other players who came on during the match included: Hornicek, Yanis da Rocha, Nuno Matos, Vítor Carvalho, Chissumba, Djibril, Diego Rodrigues, Zalazar, Thiago Helguera, Mario Dorgeles, El Ouazzani, João Marques, Kauan Kelvin, and João Carvalho.