Braga score four unanswered goals to roar back against Betis and into semis

After the 1-1 stalemate in the previous leg across the border a week earlier, Manuel Pellegrini’s team started aggressively chasing a spot in the final four, with Antony heading in Abde Ezzalzouli’s deflected delivery to hand the home side a well-earned advantage after 13 minutes.

The atmosphere in the lively Estadio de La Cartuja grew even louder, and Ezzalzouli struck again, neatly guiding Pablo Fornals’ pulled-back pass into the net from near range to extend the lead to 2-0 after 25 minutes.

This seemed to solidify Betis’s dominance, as Ezzalzouli finished a pass from Antony, though VAR disallowed it due to offside involving the ex-Manchester United player in the sequence.

Emboldened by the overturned decision, Braga’s former Barcelona forward Pau Victor levelled the score shortly before the break, capitalising on a blunder between Betis defenders Marc Bartra and Diego Llorente with a volley.

The visitors grabbed the momentum right after the interval.

Vitor Carvalho’s powerful header equalised at 2-2, and riding high on that surge, the Portuguese team took the lead in the 53rd minute.

Fittingly, star player Ricardo Horta sealed the turnaround, slotting away his 20th goal of the campaign from 12 yards after Sofyan Amrabat fouled Demir Tiknaz in the area, leaving Betis reeling. 

The closing stages promised drama, with Betis pushing hard for an equaliser.

However, Braga secured victory in the 75th minute, as a misplaced header from Ricardo Rodriguez fell ideally for Jean-Baptiste Gorby outside the penalty area, allowing the 23-year-old to fire past Pau Lopez and seal a thrilling win for Braga in Andalusia.

Carlos Vicens’ squad now faces Bundesliga outfit Freiburg in the semi-finals, starting with a home tie on April 30th, marking their return to this competition phase since the 2011 final defeat to Porto.

Betis shift focus to LaLiga next weekend, sitting fifth in the table, a position that could earn Champions League entry should Spain secure an additional spot for the upcoming campaign.