With much owing to a highly controversial refereeing decision, Braga edged Marítimo 2-1 at Estádio AXA. The result pushes Braga to within a point of first-place Benfica in the hunt for the Liga Portuguesa crown, though they have a match in-hand, whilst Marítimo sit at the seventh spot.

After an uneventful opening half, Braga took the 1-0 lead at the fifty-first minute as Alan volleyed a long free kick from the left from the back post to Albert Meyong who nodded the ball in. The lead did not last long as Djalma Campos latched onto a loose ball just outside the area before firing it into the net to square the match. It appeared the contest would end as a draw when Braga scored the winner with nine minutes remaining, courtesy of a missed call as the ball had clearly rolled at least a metre over the touchline before being played back in by Filipe Oliveira. However, after working the ball into the box and Marítimo failed to clear, Luis Aguiar, on-loan from Dinamo Moskva, lashed the ball to the back of the net. The call, a shocking miss, cost Marítimo dearly as they were unable to respond and Braga laid claim to the 2-1 victory.

Brago returns to play on Sunday as they face Porto at the Estádio do Dragão, whilst Marítimo welcomes Nacional da Madeira to Estádio dos Barreiros in Funchal, Madeira Islands on Friday.

Prepared by J. Davies
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