Ricardo Horta settles Braga at Rio Ave

Ricardo Horta was the difference again for SC Braga, converting the VAR-awarded penalty in a tight away win at Rio Ave. The spot kick came in the 67th minute after Cláudio Pereira reviewed the incident between Diogo Bezerra and Gustaf Lagerbielke, and Braga left with a 0-1 result from Rio Ave vs SC Braga.

Horta's decisive edge

Franclim Carvalho called it a tight and confusing game, and that fits what Braga got out of it. Horta finished with one goal in 81 minutes and a 6.77 rating, the best individual mark on the night for Braga. He wore number 21 and again gave them the kind of decision-making they can lean on when the football is scrappy.

This was not a slick performance from Braga, but it did extend a useful run in the league to 14 points and leave them 8th. Carvalho also pointed to the schedule, with Braga having played three matches in 18 days, and that context showed in the tempo more than in the quality.

Rio Ave's frustration over the VAR call

Rio Ave can point to the intervention itself. Vasco Seabra told A Bola: "I think it was unfair. When we are in these situations, the little things always end up harming us. We are giving positive signs, the team is competing at a higher level. The VAR today intervened, as it did not do last week in Viseu."

Braga will not care much about the argument, only the points. Seabra's complaint has some weight in the sense that the game hung on one review, but the decisive fact is still Horta's penalty and a win that kept Braga moving after an uneven start to the season.