0% Villa - Braga reach Europa League final

[Handsworth Wood Villa]

Braga tonight reached the Europa League final in Dublin where they will play Porto

This is their route to the final:

Champions League

CL 3rd Qualifying Round

Braga 3-0 Celtic
Celtic 2-1 Braga

CL  Play-off round

Braga 1-0 Sevilla
Sevilla 3-4 Braga

CL Group stage

Arsenal 6-0 Braga
Braga 0-3 Shaktar Donetsk
Braga 2-0 Partizan
Partizan 0-1 Braga
Braga 2-0 Arsenal
Shaktar Donetsk 2-0 Braga

Braga finished 3rd in Group H so dropped down into the Europa League

Europa League

EL Round of 32

Lech Poznań 1-0 Braga
Braga 2-0 Lech Poznań

EL Round of 16

Braga 1-0 Liverpool
Liverpool 0-0 Braga

EL Quarter-finals

Dynamo Kyiv 1-1 Braga
Braga 0-0 Dynamo Kyiv

EL Semi-finals

Benfica 2-1 Braga
Braga 1-0 Benfica

EL Final

Porto vs Braga

Pretty amazing run to the final of the Europa League

In total they've played 18 games in Europe this season - the final will be their 19th game in Europe

We played a measley 2 games in Europe this season (thanks Rapid Vienna  :x )

Along the way they've beaten Celtic, Sevilla, Arsenal, Liverpool and Benfica.

Out of the 9 games they've played at home in Europe this season, they've won 7, drawn 1 and lost 1.

This is massive to Braga, since this was their first season in the Champions League, and the furthest they had been in European competiton up until now was the last-16.

They've only ever won one trophy in their history - the Portuguese Cup. They've never won the Portuguese League (the Portuguese Coventry City?  :lol: )

And now they've reached the Europa League final - their first European final.

I hope they win (being the underdogs and all) but it will be a huge task against unbeaten Champions Porto.

Even if they do lose, it's been a great story.

And people say no-one takes the Europa League seriously...

Btw, those who say it's not worth all the hassle because of the effect it has on your league form - last season Braga finished 2nd with 71 points. They are currently 3rd (with 3 games left to play) on 44 points. So they aren't gonna replicate last season's league form but tbf they are only 1 place worse off...

[curiousorange]

Fantastic, a Portuguese derby...that's got my blood pumping.

[TheSandman]

Good for them.

Like their stadium. Hope they win it.

[eamonn]

I hope Mark Kelly doesn't spoil it now by saying why he hates them and all they stand for.

So they won 3 games in the group stage of the Champions League but still got knocked-out...unlucky. Still, I'm sure a Europa Cup would be more acceptable than bowing-out to a superpower in the 2nd round of the Chumps League.

[Rudy Can't Fail]

Why would I want to spoil it, they beat Benfica tonight, so I'm more than happy. Now I just hope they beat Porto. Whatever happens, they've done exceptionally well to reach the final and fully deserve it. Not bad for a club from a town the size of Walsall.

[PaulMcGrathsNo5Shirt]

Lost 6 games in Europe all season and still get to a final. Everything that is wrong with football!

[Andy_Lochhead_in_the_air]

Two Portugese teams to play each other in Dublin.  Almost as ridculous as Chelsea v Man U in Moscow. Is it really necessary for final venues to be decided a year in advance ?

[Jon Crofts]

Lost 6 games in Europe all season and still get to a final. Everything that is wrong with football!

Never a truer word said.

[richard moore]

And another sad reflection of the state of European football generally

Schalke get to a CL semi, Spurs to a CL quarter final and Braga to the final of UEFA cup or whatever they call it now

Dear me....

[darren woolley]

I wish it was us in the final good luck to them.

[Mister E]

Lost 6 games in Europe all season and still get to a final. Everything that is wrong with football!

Never a truer word said.

It depends whether you regard the Chmps and the Europa tournaments as Cups in the traditional sense or whether they are the thinly-disguised European league the concept of which was vehemently voted out some years' ago. Of course it's the latter and - that being the case - losing games onthe way to winning a league is not unusual.

[Villa'Zawg]

Two Portugese teams to play each other in Dublin.  Almost as ridculous as Chelsea v Man U in Moscow. Is it really necessary for final venues to be decided a year in advance ?

It is if the UEFA fat cats want to travel in the manner they are accustomed to. It takes time to roll out the red carpet properly.

[The Left Side]

That is the stadium with the rock face, right? If it is that is a great one

[Handsworth Wood Villa]

And another sad reflection of the state of European football generally

Schalke get to a CL semi, Spurs to a CL quarter final and Braga to the final of UEFA cup or whatever they call it now

Dear me....

??

Obviously, in any knockout competiton it's luck of the draw.

Arsenal are better than Schalke but they drew Barca (their own fault for finishing 2nd in their group to Shaktar Donetsk)

Surely it's good to see the underdogs getting far in competitions.

Like Blues winning the Carling Cup

And Stoke reaching the FA Cup final

Better than the same old big teams playing each other...

[ChrissyPrice]

Nice town. Watched a game there once and whilst architecturally impressive I wasn't sure it worked for football. You need people behind the goal.