Sporting de Braga beats Austria Wien 2-0 in Conference League playoff first leg
Pau Víctor and Diego Rodrigues scored at the Estádio Municipal de Braga to give the Portuguese club a two-goal advantage ahead of the return leg in Vienna.
First-leg victory in Braga
Sporting de Braga secured a 2-0 victory over FK Austria Wien on Thursday, 20 August 2026, in the first leg of their UEFA Conference League playoff tie at the Estadio Municipal de Braga. The Portuguese club entered the tie seeking its first appearance in the competition league phase, aiming to match the qualification achieved by Vitoria de Guimaraes in the 2024/25 campaign. Forward Pau Victor opened the scoring from the penalty spot in the 25th minute, registering his third goal in five Conference League fixtures. The penalty was awarded after Ibrahim Buhari lost possession during build-up play and pushed Denis Huseinbasic inside the penalty area. The home team controlled possession throughout the first half while restricting the Austrian visitors to minimal offensive opportunities.
Second-half fatigue and late goals
Austria Wien created their best scoring chance in the 49th minute when team captain Manfred Fischer struck the post with a header. Sporting de Braga experienced a drop in energy early in the second half as multiple players suffered from physical fatigue, muscle cramps, and dehydration. Despite the drop in tempo, Braga received a second penalty in the 84th minute, though Pau Victor failed to convert the attempt. Substitute Diego Rodrigues secured the 2-0 result in the 88th minute after receiving an assist from Dorgeles. Rodrigues assessed the team's performance and the scoreline after the match.
The first half was dominated by us and we could have even extended the lead. In the second half we started more asleep, but we deserved the victory. My goal brought more justice to the result.
Tactical adjustments and lineups
Braga head coach Carlos Vicens fielded a starting lineup featuring Bernardo Fontes, Gustaf Lagerbielke, Vitor Carvalho, Adrian Bajrami, Victor Gomez, Joao Moutinho, Demir Tiknaz, Gabriel Silva, Denis Huseinbasic, Fran Navarro, and Pau Victor. Pau Victor started in place of the injured Ricardo Horta, finding space between the lines before shifting to central forward after Fran Navarro was substituted. Midfielder Demir Tiknaz completed multiple dribbles and controlled the tempo with two-touch passing, while Huseinbasic adjusted his defensive pressing role from a 2+1 alignment into a 1+2 setup. Austria Wien lined up with Samuel Radlinger, Reinhold Ranftl, Aleks Dragovic, Johannes Handl, Ibrahim Buhari, Lee Tae-seok, Philipp Maybach, Manfred Fischer, Julian Hettwer, Vasilije Markovic, and Johannes Eggestein.
- Pau Víctor has a left-footed shot deflected over the crossbar after play by Demir Tiknaz.
- Pau Víctor opens the scoring with a penalty kick after Denis Huseinbašić is fouled by Ibrahim Buhari.
- Fran Navarro misses from close range following a cross from Gabriel Silva.
- Austria Wien captain Manfred Fischer hits the post with a header.
- Pau Víctor misses his second penalty kick of the match.
- Diego Rodrigues scores from a Dorgeles assist to make it 2-0 for Braga.
Managerial reaction before the return leg
Carlos Vicens addressed the physical conditions that affected his squad during the second half of the contest. The coach noted that managing player fitness over recent days had proved difficult, but commended the bench players for maintaining the team's competitive level and pushing for the second goal.
Five or ten minutes into the second half we started to feel some lack of energy. Some players still had symptoms, we saw cramps and signs of dehydration.
Vicens warned that the qualification tie remains unsettled ahead of the second leg in Vienna on 27 August 2026.
We have to look ahead. Next week a very tough battle awaits us, because we have already seen what they are capable of. It is a team with a lot of energy, that knows what it does and that causes us many difficulties. At their home it will be even more difficult.
