Rodrigo Zalazar swings Sporting past Braga in 25 minutes

Sporting CP won 3-1 at SC Braga on 2026-10-09, and Rodrigo Zalazar was the change that turned the game. He came on in the 58th minute and spent 25 minutes on the pitch in the match report, while the recorded match data lists 26. In that spell, he forced an own goal, then scored again himself.

Zalazar's short but decisive cameo

The first turning point came in the 71st minute. Zalazar drove down the right, beat Gabri Martínez, crossed into the box and forced Bernardo Fontes into his own net. The move gave Sporting the momentum after they had already been levelled by Luis Suárez, who headed in in the 66th minute from a pass by Nestory Irankunda.

Nine minutes later, Zalazar finished it himself. He moved from his own half into the box and scored with his right foot in the 81st minute, the decisive goal in a 3-1 result. The performance also explains why the 25-minute cameo stood out so sharply, even with the official minute count sitting at 26.

Sporting's bench did the damage

Zalazar was not the only substitute to affect the match. Suárez came on and scored the equaliser, and Irankunda set up that header. Sporting's bench gave them the lift they needed after falling behind, and Braga could not handle the pressure once the game opened up.

The result leaves Sporting with a clean away win at the Estádio Municipal de Braga and another reminder that one late introduction can decide a game very quickly. Zalazar did that here, with the comeback sealed before the final whistle.