)
Arsenalistas were better throughout, in a game in which Bruma was again the protagonist, despite not scoring.
The figure: Bruma (note 7)
The Portuguese forward played more in midfield and created the first dangerous opportunity, with good work inside the area, shooting for Ricardo Velho to save. In the Warriors’ first goal, it was all about movement, showing that he is a quality player with a dizzying change of pace. Very influential on the Braga attack.
Paulo Oliveira returned to the line and had a chance to score, but incredibly he put the ball over the top, close to the goal line. The defender was consistent as was his tone, which showed concentration. João Ferreira played a dual role, starting the game as the third defender, but after the break he clearly looked like a right back, moving up several times to support the attack. Niakaté showed security and, above all, confidence, after being eliminated from the European game, he deserved a start.
Yuri Ribeiro had two roles in the game, as in the first half he was on the left alone and in the second half he was closer to the central players. Vítor Carvalho was competent to balance the team, but he had some shortcomings when he wanted to make longer or vertical passes, making some mistakes. Towards the end of the game he sent a ball towards the post with a header. André Horta showed that he was recovered, after his demonstration, as suggested by the coach and he played a competent game, essentially, by taking the ball without fear.
Gharbi handles the ball very well, but had no impact for most of the first half until close to half-time when he stepped up to open the scoring. Ricardo Horta had one of the best scoring opportunities in the first half, with a subtle deflection on his heel, but the ball was saved. El Ouazzani was introduced in the second half and in the opening minutes he made a mistake, sending the ball in the opposite direction to the goal, with a header. But he still had time to score, launching himself into the ball with his head, after an initial deflection from a team-mate. Rodrigo Zalazar stepped in and made the difference early on, with his usual ball movement towards the attack, and it was his deflection for El Ouazzani to score. Gabri Martínez always shows speed and tries to shake the runner, in this case the left one, but he was not very consistent in his actions, getting lost in weakness and changes of pace, not passing or crossing.
Minho wins again and conquers the Algarve. In a game dominated by the home team, Gharbi and El Ouazzani scored the goals that secured three points and the confidence of Carvalhal’s team.
Player notes:
Matheus (5), João Ferreira (6), Paulo Oliveira (5), Niakaté (5), Roger (5), Vítor Carvalho (6), André Horta (5), Gharbi (7), Yuri Ribeiro (5), Bruma (7), Ricardo Horta (6), Gabri Martínez (5), El Ouazzani (7), João Moutinho (5), Rodrigo Zalazar (5) and Víctor Gómez (-).