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Rocky Road: How Porto and Braga booked their places in Dublin

It has been a long road to tomorrow night’s Europa League Final. We take a look at how the two teams made it this far.

17/05/11 176 Views No Comments

ALL THE WAY back on July 1 last year, the 2010-2011 Europa League kicked off with relatively little fanfare as the tournament’s first qualifying round got underway.

Then, the only game of interest for Irish fans was Dundalk’s trip to little-known Luxembourg outfit CS Grevenmacher.

Now, 178 games and 479 goals later, the competition is inescapable as Dublin prepares to host the final of the 2011 tournament in less than 36 hours time.

While our interest may have only been piqued in the last couple of weeks (Liverpool and Manchester City fans aside), this year’s finalists, Porto and Braga, set out on the rocky road to Dublin many months ago.

Their respective paths to tomorrow night’s decider weren’t always easy and weren’t always pretty but they both got here in the end.

We take a look back at how they managed to do it.

Rocky Road: How Porto and Braga booked their places in Dublin
1 / 11

  • Playoff Round: Genk 4-7 Porto

    As Portuguese cup winners, Porto were awarded a place in the playoff round of the 2011 Europa League. There, they were drawn against Belgian side Genk whom they beat 3-0 in the first leg in Belgium thanks to goals from Falcao, Souza and Belluschi. They finished the job back in Oporto where goals from Fernando and a Hulk (pictured) hat-trick gave them a 4-2 win.

  • Group L: First Place (15pts)

    Porto dominated Group L in which they were drawn against Besiktas, Rapid Vienna and CSKA Sofia. They won five of their six group games, drawing 1-1 at home to Besiktas in the other.

  • Last 32: Sevilla 2-2 Porto (Porto win on away goals)

    Their reward for topping Group L was a last 32 tie against Sevilla of Spain. Goals from Rolando and Guarín gave them a 2-1 lead to take back to Portugal and, even though Sevilla won the return leg 1-0, Porto progressed on away goals.

  • Last 16: CSKA Moscow 1-3 Porto

    Next up for Andre Villas Boas' men were CSKA Moscow in the tournament's last 16. A precious 70th-minute strike from Guarín was the only goal of their 1-0 victory in Moscow. The Colombian striker also got his name on the scoresheet in the return leg, following up on Hulk's first-minute opener in Porto's 2-1 win.

  • Quarter-Final: Porto 10-3 Spartak Moscow

    The quarter-final stage was where the goals really began to rain in for Porto. They won 5-1 at home to Spartak Moscow in the first leg with the goals coming from Falcao (3), Varela, and a Kombarov o.g. The haul was a bit more evenly spread out when they won 5-2 in the return leg in Moscow - Hulk, Cristian Rodriguez, Guarín, Falcao and Micael all got one each.

  • Semi-Final: Porto 7-4 Villarreal

    That man Falcao (pictured, left) was the talk of the town again at the semi-final stage, scoring four in Porto's 5-1 first-leg victory over Villareal, leaving Guarín to complete the rout. With the tie effectively dead, Porto lost the return leg in Spain. A Musacchio o.g. and another for Falcao meant that the game finished 3-2 on the night and 7-4 on aggregate.

  • Rocky Road: How Porto and Braga booked their places

    So that's how Porto made it this far - but what about Braga?

  • Last 32: Lech Poznan 1-2 Braga

    With three wins and three draws in Champions League Group H (remember them, Arsenal fans?), Braga found themselves missing out on the tournament's knockout stages and parachuted into the last 32 of the Europa League as consolation. There, their first opponents were Polish side Lech Poznan (remember them, City fans?) Although Braga lost the away leg 1-0, first-half goals from Alan and Lima in the home game were enough to see them through.

  • Last 16: Braga 1-0 Liverpool

    Next up were Liverpool, newly under the stewardship of Kenny Dalglish. An 18th-minute Alan penalty in the home leg was to be the only goal of the tie, with Braga travelling to Anfield for the second leg and flummoxing their opponents with their resolute defence.

  • Quarter-Final: Dynamo Kiev 1-1 Braga (Braga win on away goals)

    As a reward for their giantkilling exploits, Braga were handed a quarter-final draw against fellow Champions League oustees Dynamo Kiev. As it happened, it wasn't even a goal scored by one of their own players which secured Braga's place in the semis. An own goal from Husyev gave the Portuguese side a 1-1 draw in Kiev and, when the second leg finished scoreless, the away goal was enough to see them through.

  • Semi-Final: Benfica 2-2 Braga (Braga win on away goals)

    Vandinho was Braga's goalscorer in the 2-1 defeat against Benfica in Lisbon, but Custódio's 18th-minute strike meant that Domingos Paciência's side won the second leg 1-0, booking their place in the final by virtue of their away goal.
  • As Portuguese cup winners, Porto were awarded a place in the playoff round of the 2011 Europa League. There, they were drawn against Belgian side Genk whom they beat 3-0 in the first leg in Belgium thanks to goals from Falcao, Souza and Belluschi. They finished the job back in Oporto where goals from Fernando and a Hulk (pictured) hat-trick gave them a 4-2 win.
  • Porto dominated Group L in which they were drawn against Besiktas, Rapid Vienna and CSKA Sofia. They won five of their six group games, drawing 1-1 at home to Besiktas in the other.
  • Their reward for topping Group L was a last 32 tie against Sevilla of Spain. Goals from Rolando and Guarín gave them a 2-1 lead to take back to Portugal and, even though Sevilla won the return leg 1-0, Porto progressed on away goals.
  • Next up for Andre Villas Boas' men were CSKA Moscow in the tournament's last 16. A precious 70th-minute strike from Guarín was the only goal of their 1-0 victory in Moscow. The Colombian striker also got his name on the scoresheet in the return leg, following up on Hulk's first-minute opener in Porto's 2-1 win.
  • The quarter-final stage was where the goals really began to rain in for Porto. They won 5-1 at home to Spartak Moscow in the first leg with the goals coming from Falcao (3), Varela, and a Kombarov o.g. The haul was a bit more evenly spread out when they won 5-2 in the return leg in Moscow - Hulk, Cristian Rodriguez, Guarín, Falcao and Micael all got one each.
  • That man Falcao (pictured, left) was the talk of the town again at the semi-final stage, scoring four in Porto's 5-1 first-leg victory over Villareal, leaving Guarín to complete the rout. With the tie effectively dead, Porto lost the return leg in Spain. A Musacchio o.g. and another for Falcao meant that the game finished 3-2 on the night and 7-4 on aggregate.
  • So that's how Porto made it this far - but what about Braga?
  • With three wins and three draws in Champions League Group H (remember them, Arsenal fans?), Braga found themselves missing out on the tournament's knockout stages and parachuted into the last 32 of the Europa League as consolation. There, their first opponents were Polish side Lech Poznan (remember them, City fans?) Although Braga lost the away leg 1-0, first-half goals from Alan and Lima in the home game were enough to see them through.
  • Next up were Liverpool, newly under the stewardship of Kenny Dalglish. An 18th-minute Alan penalty in the home leg was to be the only goal of the tie, with Braga travelling to Anfield for the second leg and flummoxing their opponents with their resolute defence.
  • As a reward for their giantkilling exploits, Braga were handed a quarter-final draw against fellow Champions League oustees Dynamo Kiev. As it happened, it wasn't even a goal scored by one of their own players which secured Braga's place in the semis. An own goal from Husyev gave the Portuguese side a 1-1 draw in Kiev and, when the second leg finished scoreless, the away goal was enough to see them through.
  • Vandinho was Braga's goalscorer in the 2-1 defeat against Benfica in Lisbon, but Custódio's 18th-minute strike meant that Domingos Paciência's side won the second leg 1-0, booking their place in the final by virtue of their away goal.

Check out more of TheScore.ie‘s Europa League Final build-up here >

About the author:

Niall Kelly
@niallkelly
niall@thescore.ie

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