33′
9:34 p.m
Yellow card for Victor Gomez (Sporting Braga)
31′
9:31 p.m
Red card for Sikou Niakaté (Sporting Braga)
This is bitter for Braga. Niakaté accidentally kicks Behrens in the Achilles tendon in midfield with an open sole. That’s a hard foul. Turpin initially gives yellow. But then the VAR reports. Turpin briefly looks at the scene on the screen and quickly decides on red. The red card can be given, but it was not Niakaté’s intention. Yellow would have done it too.
28′
9:30 p.m
Almost the lead for Braga! Victor Gómez delivers a strong cross from the left halffield into the penalty area. Six meters from the goal, Álvaro Djaló heads the ball. He puts the shot just next to the right post. You can also clean it up.
26′
9:27 p.m
Laïdouni prevails against several opponents with impressive dribbling. Then he plays the ball to Gosens on the left. The national player brings a flat cross in front of the goal. Niakaté gets ahead of Behrens and clarifies.
24′
9:25 p.m
Laïdouni and Álvaro Djaló collided in an aerial duel. They both stay down for a short time, but do not need to be treated and can continue playing.
22′
9:23 p.m
It’s a very low chance game so far. The ball is mainly in midfield.
19′
9:20 p.m
After a free kick cross from the right side, Knoche heads the ball. His shot is blocked and the referee calls an offensive foul because Knoche pushed.
16′
9:17 p.m
First good chance for the home team! Ricardo Horta comes into the penalty area on the left and brings the ball flat in front of the goal. Roussillon intervenes just in time, otherwise the bell would have rung.
15′
9:16 p.m
João Moutinho takes a corner from the right into the penalty area. Niakaté tries his heel at the first post. The ball goes wide to the right.
13′
9:14 p.m
Union mainly leaves the ball to Braga. The home team doesn’t really get into the final third yet.
10′
9:11 p.m
Banza crosses from the right corner of the penalty area to the second post. Ricardo Horta gets the ball. He plays again from the left in front of the goal. A defender blocks the cross.
7′
9:08 p.m
The game is still pretty disjointed. There are a lot of fouls and little flow in the game.
5′
9:06 p.m
Roussillon also gets a kick on the foot. But this time Turpin doesn’t give a card. This is a questionable decision.
3′
9:03 p.m
Yellow card for Robin Knoche (1. FC Union Berlin)
Knoche arrives late in a duel on the outside line. He steps on Ricardo Horta’s foot and receives a yellow card.
1′
9:02 p.m
Braga comes into play immediately offensively. Ricardo Horta approaches the penalty area and falls to the ground in a duel with Knoche. The referee lets the game continue.
20:42
Artur Jorge also makes four changes for Braga compared to their 4-1 league win over Portimonense. Banza, Vitor Carvalho, Borja and Matheus Magalhães start in place of Abel Ruiz, Adrián Marín, Pizzi and Horníček.
8:35 p.m
Regarding personnel: Nenad Bjelica is making a significant change straight away. Union will probably start with a back four today. The coach also replaced four players compared to the 1-1 draw against Augsburg. Khedira, Juranović, Roussillon and Tousart start in place of Fofana, Trimmel, Jaeckel and Haberer.
20:27
Braga is in a good mood at the moment. The Portuguese have only lost twice in their last twelve competitive games. Both defeats were against Real Madrid. Braga is in fourth place in the league. Only five points are missing from league leaders Benfica. Progression in the Champions League is only possible if Braga wins against Union today. The first leg between the two teams ended 3-2 for the Portuguese. Andre Castro scored the winning goal in the 94th minute.
20:21
Union has had a very weak group phase so far. Qualification for the round of 16 is no longer possible before matchday 5. But the Köpenickers could still overwinter in the European Cup. A win against Braga would see them climb to third place. The last Union victory was now three months ago. Can the new coach turn the tide?
8:16 p.m
Nenad Bjelica is sitting on the bench as head coach at Union Berlin for the first time today. The 52-year-old Croatian spent his playing career primarily in Spain, Germany and Austria. He played 65 Bundesliga games for 1. FC Kaiserslautern. He has also traveled to several countries as a trainer. He trained in Austria, Italy, Poland, Croatia and Turkey. The most successful station so far was at Dinamo Zagreb. There Bjelica won the championship twice and the cup once.
8:01 p.m
Hello and welcome to matchday 5 in the group stage of the Champions League. Today at 9:00 p.m. Sporting Braga will face Union Berlin in Group C.