Ferencváros defeated visiting Braga 2–0 in the first leg of their UEFA Europa League Round of 16 tie on Thursday, putting themselves in a favorable position ahead of next Wednesday’s return match in Portugal.
The team coached by Robbie Keane took the lead in the 32nd minute through a goal by Israeli player Gavriel Kanichowsky, and French forward Lenny Joseph added another in the 69th minute. The Portuguese side failed to pull one back before the final whistle.
Ferencváros goal scorers Gavriel Kanichowsky (left), Lenny Joseph (center), and Bamidele Yusuf. Photo: MTI/Koszticsák Szilárd
With this latest victory, the Hungarian champions maintained their unbeaten home record in the second-tier European club competition, remaining undefeated in six matches.
Ferencváros head coach Robbie Keane said that by defeating Braga, his players had given themselves something to hold on to. Earlier, he had stated that on paper the Portuguese team was the favorite. The 45-year-old Irish coach emphasized at Wednesday’s pre-match press conference that his coaching mentality and approach had not changed: even though the opponent has a more valuable squad, his objective in this matchup was still victory.
Robbie Keane. Photo: MTI/Koszticsák Szilárd
At the post-match press conference, he said that in his view the team played excellent football, performed well tactically, their man-marking worked superbly, and their aggressive approach paid off.
I do not know what our opponent expected, but the fact is that we now have a two-goal advantage. That gives us something to hold on to, because we are only at halftime in this tie,”
Keane said.
The coach stressed that Braga are a very good team and that “the way they move the ball and keep possession is fantastic,” but he also stated that he does not plan to send his team onto the pitch with a defensive setup in Portugal.
Photo: MTI/Hegedüs Róbert
“I have been in football for over 20 years, and I know exactly how quickly things can change in this sport. If you noticed, the boys did not celebrate the goals too much, because they know very well that the return leg is still ahead of us. Of course I congratulated everyone on today’s performance, because I really feel we played very well. But the second match is still to come,” Keane said in response to a question from MTI.
His counterpart, Braga coach Carlos Vicens, highlighted that
even before the match they knew they would have to play under heavy pressure, as Ferencváros would try to force them into mistakes and into playing “more direct football.”
The 43-year-old Spanish coach said that in the first half they did not control the game, which was crucial for achieving a better result. In his view, both goals could have been avoided, as they came after the opponent’s pressing forced them to lose possession.
Lenny Joseph’s (R2) goal. Photo: MTI/Hegedüs Róbert
“At the same time, we also had our chances, but we should have been more aggressive and more precise, especially in finishing. This defeat hurts, but we don’t have time to dwell on it, because we fought hard in recent months to reach this stage of the Europa League. We must not give up; we have to believe that on Wednesday we can win at home—not just win, but achieve a result that sends us through,” Vicens said.
Ferencváros goalkeeper Dávid Gróf. Photo: MTI/Hegedüs Róbert
The return leg will be played next Wednesday in Braga. The winner will face the victor of the Round of 16 tie between Panathinaikos of Greece and Real Betis of Spain in the quarterfinals. In that matchup, the hosts won the first match 1–0 in Athens.
Via MTI, Featured image: MTI/Hegedüs Róbert