Head coach Robbie Keane’s green-and-white boys went into the second leg of the UEFA Europa League Round of 16 cautiously but optimistically after beating the Portuguese SC Braga 2–0 at home in Budapest, Hungary. Keane and every player in the squad who spoke up repeatedly told the press that they were fully aware that this tie was yet to be decided.
The return fixture in Braga, Portugal on Wednesday, 18 March proved how right they were in their cautious disposition.
By the 10th minute, Portuguese international forward Ricardo Horta cut the deficit in half, putting away a low cross into the box by Rodrigo Zalazar at the far post. Then, just five minutes later, Dávid Gróf in the Ferencváros goal helped the home side out with a howler: Florian Grillitsch’s shot from the edge of the D slipped in under his armpit.
By the time halftime came, Braga were ahead in the tie: Gabri Martinez converted his one-on-one chance after a breakaway in the 34th minute.
Horta added a second to his own and a fourth to the Portuguese side’s tally right after the break, in the 53rd minute. It was an impressive shot from first touch to the top near corner from 18 yards out. That was the final goal for the day, the game ended 4–0 to SC Braga, who thus beat out Ferencváros 4–2 on aggregate.
Still, Ferencváros had an overall European campaign to be proud of.
After narrowly falling to the Azeri Qarabağ FK in the UEFA Champions League qualifying play-off, it took eight games in the Europa League league phase for Fradi to suffer their first loss. Eventually, they finished 12th on the table, and then beat PFC Ludogorets Razgrad from Bulgaria in the play-off to reach the Round of 16.
There, Braga handed them just third second loss in 12 games in the Europa League. However, two of those three defeats were by large, 4–0 margins: against the English Nottingham Forest in the league phase, and now against Braga.
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