Today I'm going back just three years to 2019 to Wolverhampton Wanderers' UEFA Europa League Group Stage fixture against Sporting Clube de Braga at Molineux, played in front of a near capacity 28,314. Oh and isn't the programme cover a beauty? A rare example of a piece of artwork where the players don't look unrealistic. Somebody's sure to tell me now that it's just a photograph that's been run through some clever piece of software!
I have to say that Braga are probably one of my least favourite continental clubs. Why? Braga's kit, since 1946 at least, consists of red shirts with white sleeves and one of their nicknames is "the Arsenalistas" in homage to that London club that rightfully belongs in Woolwich. I have to say that I prefer another of Braga's nicknames: the "Arcebispos" (the Archbishops) which is far less contentious as far as I am concerned. Braga play in Portugal's top flight (the Primeira Liga) and their deadly local rivals are Vitoria SC from Guimaraes (sadly not known as "the Tottenhamistas"). Braga have never won the Primeira Liga but they have won three Portuguese FA Cups (the Taca de Portugal), most recently in 2021.
I do enjoy attending European nights irrespective of whether Spurs are playing or not and it was a treat to be able to get a ticket to see Wolves because they hadn't qualified for European competition in the previous 39 years. I don't think you can beat the atmosphere at such games and Molineux was a sell out for Wolves' long awaited return to the European stage. As well as Wolves and Spurs, over the years I've also managed to attend European home games at Arsenal, Aston Villa and Manchester United. European club football is always a great opportunity to see clubs and players that you wouldn't normally get the chance to view. Wolves certainly added to the atmosphere of the occasion with a dazzling pre-match light show.
Wolves had qualified for Europe off the back of a successful first season back in the top flight the previous season where they eventually finished seventh under the management of Nuno Espirito Santo. For their own part, Braga had finished fourth in the Primeira Liga. I have to say that I've got Braga's home stadium on my list of "must do's" to visit one day. It looks remarkable in the photographs mainly because the stadium is two-sided with one end of the stadium (the Estadio Municipal de Braga) being a carved rock face, the remnant of a former quarry that was situated there. The stadium was built in 2003 for the 2004 European Championships which were held in Portugal and it holds just over 30,000.
The featured match didn't really live up to the anticipation and the final result was a disappointing one from a Black Country point of view. Braga created just one chance before their goal which came in the 71st minute and was scored by Ricardo Luz Horta. Horta remains at Braga to this day and has appeared for the club over 280 times, scoring 93 goals. Wolves striker Patrick Cutrone in particular looked dangerous early on but fluffed his chances and perhaps this is borne out by his overall record for Wolves: 28 appearances but just 3 goals. Cutrone now plays for his home town club Como back in Italy but he did visit London last year to attend the Euro 2020 Final where he acted as a cheerleader for the Italian fans at Wembley! Braga, resplendent in their horrible red and white kit, lived up to the "boring, boring" song that was rattling round in my head and I was relieved that there were no "one-nil to the Arsenal(istas)" songs after their goal. After that goal, Wolves threw everything they had at Braga who nevertheless held firm for the away victory.
Braga went on to win Group K by a point from second placed Wolves who both proceeded into the knockout Round of 32 from a Group that also included Slovan Bratislava and Besiktas. In the knockout phase, Braga were eliminated by Rangers 4-2 on aggregate while Wolves beat Espanol 6-3 on aggregate to advance to the Round of 16. There Wolves faced Olympiakos of Greece but the tie was seriously disrupted by Covid19 restrictions and wasn't completed until August. Wolves eventually defeated Olympiakos 2-1 on aggregate but were finally knocked out of the competition in a single one-off match played in Cologne by Sevilla who went on to win the Europa League on 21st August against Inter Milan almost 14 months after the competition had originally kicked off.
CRB Match No. 2330
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