Braga beat Backa Topola 4-1 in the Champions League third round qualifiers | OneFootball

A ruthless 12-minute spell propelled Braga to a 4-1 win at Backa Topola in the Champions League third round qualifiers.

Leading 3-0 after the first leg, the tie was over in the 20th minute when some ruthless attacking play from Braga saw them establish a 4-0 lead.

Pizzi opened the scoring before Ricardo Horta assisted Bruma and Álvaro Djaló, Al Musrati getting in on the act with a long-range strike.

Marko Rakonjac took advantage of some sloppy defending from José Fonte to reduce the deficit in the 40th minute, but the tie was well and truly over.

The second half was a snooze fest as Artur Jorge introduced Rodrigo Zalazar, Rony Lopes, Roger Fernandes, Joe Mendes and Djibril Soumaré, his side now preparing to host Marseille in the play-off first leg.

Braga on fire

Backa Topola had the first chance of the match when Marko Rakonjac fired over from a tight angle, but that was about as good as it got from the hosts.

Braga went ahead in the 8th minute when Ricardo Horta diverted a cross into the path of Víctor Gómez, the right-back squaring to Pizzi who steered the ball in off the post.

Four minutes later it was 2-0. Álvaro Djaló went on driving run and picked out Horta, the playmaker expertly rolling the ball to Bruma who stroked the ball into the bottom corner.

Artur Jorge’s side were in no mood to let up and made it 3-0 in the 15th minute. A peach of a pass from Gómez found Horta in space, Djaló the recipient on this occasion as he produced a fine finish.

The Serbian club were reeling and it got worse, going 4-0 behind in the 20th minute.

There wasn’t much doing as the Bruma laid the ball into the path of Al Musrati, but the midfielder saw a gap and drilled the ball through traffic and into the bottom corner.

Braga kept creating opportunities with Djaló's swerving shot going wide, Nikola Simić racing off his line to prevent Djaló netting a fifth goal before Bruma was unable to keep a difficult chance down.

Onslaught halted

Out of the blue Backa Topola got a goal back. Rakonjac got the ball a long way from goal, José Fonte doing nothing to stop him charging unopposed into the 18-yard box where he smashed the ball past Matheus.

Second half snooze fest

Artur Jorge made three changes at the break with this team 7-1 up in the tie. Rodrigo Zalazar, Rony Lopes and Roger Fernandes relaced Al Musrati, Bruma Ricardo Horta.

The second half was always unlikely to live up to the action provided in the first and so it proved, Gómez making way for Joe Mendes in the 60th minute.

Zalazar tested Simić with a swerving free kick before Braga created a bunch of chances in the closing minutes. Lopes fired into the side netting, Zalazar headed Adrián Marín’s cross wide and the Spanish left-back closed it out in added time with a shot saved by Simić.

Stroll in the park in Serbia

Braga proved they are the superior side in a dominant 3-0 win in the first leg.

Any hopes Backa Topola had of overturning the deficit were destroyed in a ruthless 12 minute spell when the Portuguese club bagged four goals.

Their slick interplay bamboozled a Backa Topola side that were chasing shadows, their defence all over the place with Braga's top four frequently interchanging positions.

Artur Jorge’s side travel to Chaves on Saturday before hosting Panathinaikos or Marseille in the play-off first leg.

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