Braga

[Bearinabluehose]

On the match thread last night at half time i noted despite my dissapointment that they looked weak at the back and we had a chance if we brought a bit of desire and want to the game .

The high line they play suits our style of attack they may change it over there but they moved the ball better than any team we have played this year
Our back.line loojs just as dodgy as theirs !

 

[Club Deck Pakora]

They are a very good side. You don’t have £26m players going to Barca if you’re not. When Hagi scored his first I felt everything change, I thought could we win this, then I wanted a 4th! Tough job over there, but I think we will score.

That boy that’s going to Barca looked like some player. Only 20 as well. We need to keep him quiet in the return leg to have any chance

 

[Giffnock bear]

Most of our players are off form just now but Braga looked good and they are on form. Next game should be interesting.

 

[Desman75]

Lets take note that this is a team that beat and drew with Wolves, currently 8th in the Premier League (worlds greatest league and all that bollocks), and topped their group without losing.
This is a MASSIVE result last night - even though the tie is only at half time.

 

[wee blue dug]

Technically they are better than us, but that doesnt guarantee you a win..im sure i read somewere and maybee someone can put up stats,but im sure they are better away from home than at home.. AGAIN its in our hands. I didnt think we had it in us last night, and ill hold my hand up and say i got it wrong.

 

[We're on our way 55]

It was refreshing to see the Braga goalkeeper not waste time at any point in the game. They were a really good side, technical midfield players ran us ragid for the first 60 minutes! Their press was unbelievable. Their defence looked like if we applied real high press pressure they’d make a few mistakes though.

 

[scotto]

The game couldn’t have came at a worse time for us I think. They’re on top form and we’ve been on a dip since coming back. Hopefully the result will give us confidence to kick on now.

 

[temperance]

They have beaten Sporting Lisbon, Porto and Benfica in the last 2 months or so.

This is their first defeat in 14 Euro games.

They are a really good team on excellent form.

Not sure why people are downplaying how good they are.

They are one of Europe’s form teams, since the new manager took over he has won 9 and drawn 1, until last night of course.

 

[joseph]

Clearly the best we have played, however, I would question whether they were fitter.

They were dead on their feet during last 10 mins.

And we sat back after we went in front to defend the lead!!!!!!!

 

[Napsburybear]

It's good to see a team come to Ibrox and attack rather than sit 11 men behind the ball.

 

[55degreesnorth]

We will need an away goal to go through I think.

I would think so. I'd be amazed if we shut them out over there.
.

 

[The Blue Viper]

Good side but we made them look better, especially in first half.

 

[0028]

Very good team I thought.
Will go against the grain a wee bit, I thought we were so bad 1st half because they didn't allow us time or space. On saying that we did create a few chances although so did they.
Will be very difficult over there next week but feel we have goal(s) in us too!

 

[JeffreySpaulding]

Best attacking side but they let us in at the back too many times even in the first half when we were terrible.

If we are a lot more organised and take our chances then we have a decent chance of getting through. They also have the quality to rip us apart though if we play like we did for the first hour last night.

 

[Southpaws]

Very fit, technical side, move the ball quickly and confidently in transition from defence to attack, unlike us since the winter break. The ball spends minimal time in the middle of the park, their midfielders preferring to be very direct.

As others have said the high pressing game they play definitely saps them and their defence is their weakest area. That we are a team searching for form and they are the form team in their league suggests that we should take a lot from last nights win.

The one thing that might suit us in the away leg is their belief that they can out score us to mitigate their defensive frailties. Given that we will be a much tighter unit, with a very rigid defensive and midfield shape looking to pick them off on the counter. This should negate the huge vacuum which existed between our midfield and defence for their first goal and the general space afforded them by our ‘confused’ shape.

 

[Coisty09]

If we had played them in November it would have been a very different game last night.
They looked shattered in the last 15 minutes and could not believe that we kept coming at them.
That can get in your head and create a bit of fear.
Let’s hope they play with more caution at home as they are worried we might get goals.
What I did notice is they were not as dirty as a lot of Portuguese teams we have faced in the past.

 

[dt17]

They looked very good going forward but suspect at the back...I mean we took 3 off them and it should've been more and that was us nowhere near our best.

 

[Realger34]

Fantastic side, we have our work cut out next week.

 

[jonesy8]

we were far too careless in possession for the first 60 minutes, once we had a go they absolute caved in and couldn`t cope with us. if we improve in possession next week and go at them there is absolutely no reason why we can`t win this tie.

 

[Gazza's Dentist]

At 1-0, I said to the guy next to me that they were strolling it and if we conceded another there could be a total collapse. Never been so happy to be wrong

 

[ekbear98]

Genuinely Think if we go over there with the intention of sitting back like a lot of clubs in our league do start the press once they enter our half with pace up top to try catch them out we can get a win over there could tell they wanted us to press high last night to pick us off

 

[JD1872]

Excellent fluid attacking team but I can see us damaging them on the counter attack

 

[Al Needham Loyal]

Are they the best team we have faced this season?

They are the only team we've faced who have been fitter and stronger than us

Really good technically as well

I think they were.

Some of their interplay was breathtaking at times too. Just so composed on the ball, even the keeper.

I'd said at 1 down that anyone doing their nut about losing to that team just had unrealistic expectations

 

[Antsy]

Suspect at the back all game but some of their link up play was excellent. There was a point in the 1st half they were knocking the ball about at the back and the crowd started urging us to press them, we then pressed them right into the corner and 4 passes later they were in our box.

 

[reallyruff]

Their pressing game and the energy behind it caused us huge problems and contributed to the exposure of our own deficiencies and off- form individuals. Equally the high line they held and their eventual weariness left them exposed at the back numerous times which if we'd been more clinical could have seen a more comfortable win. Hopefully away we exploit this, but they will score, we just need to match them.

 

[Grigo Yossarian]

Are they the best team we have faced this season?

They are the only team we've faced who have been fitter and stronger than us

Really good technically as well

I agree. I watched a bit of their game at Benfica on Saturday & have to say I was worried about last night.

Top team, and the best we have played this season.