Daan Heymans and Oh Hyeong-Gyu were on the score sheet for Genk as they beat Braga 4-3 away from home. The Belgian side went a goal down and responded with 3 goals of their own to make it 3-1, Braga kept fighting and made it 3-2 but just a minute later, the two goal advantage was restored. Braga managed to score again in the 86th minute but ultimately lost a match where they had 19 shots to Genk’s 9.
Rodrigo Zalazar, Amine El Ouazzani and Gabri Martinez were the front 3 for Braga in a 433. Yira Sor and Oh Hyeong-Gyu were up top with Konstantinos Karetsas in the attacking midfield position in Genk’s 4312 formation.
The match between Sporting Braga and Genk, which ended in a dramatic 4-3 victory for the visitors, established its frenetic rhythm from the opening minutes. Braga, playing at home, seemed intent on quickly asserting dominance through their attacking midfielders, frequently testing the Genk defense and goalkeeper, Hendrik Van Crombrugge.
The first chance came in the 5th minute when Genk’s Konstantinos Karetsas forced a save from Braga keeper Lúkas Hornícek. However, the immediate reaction came from Braga, who carved out several dangerous attacking moves. Rodrigo Zalazar broke into the box but sent his shot wide of the goal on 10 minutes. Five minutes later, Genk keeper Van Crombrugge was called into action again, parrying a powerful, long-range effort from Gabri Martínez for a corner.
Braga’s relentless pressure led to further chances that went begging, Amine El Ouazzani shot hard but wide in the 20th minute , and Zalazar followed up with another wayward shot in the 25th minute. This period of sustained pressure eventually paid off on the half-hour mark. In the 30th minute, Rodrigo Zalazar drove forward after capitalizing on a poor headed clearance and dispatched a pinpoint finish from the edge of the area to open the scoring, making it 1-0.
Braga sought to extend their lead, and in the 35th minute, Ricardo Horta’s powerful long-range shot was blocked, leading to a corner. João Moutinho’s subsequent shot from the resulting corner was also immediately blocked by the tenacious Genk defense, preventing the home side from doubling their advantage. A brief injury delay occurred in the 37th minute when Genk’s Ken Nkuba required attention. Despite Braga earning another corner late on in the 44th minute, they failed to hold their lead into the break.
The frantic close of the first half signaled the chaos to come. In the 45+1 minute, Genk managed a shot of their own, with Daan Heymans’ right-footed shot blocked in the center of the box. Just a minute later, Heymans scored with a glancing header from a Konstantinos Karetsas cross following a corner, stunning the home crowd and equalizing the score at 1-1 just before the half-time whistle.
The interval offered little respite, and Genk immediately capitalized on the momentum gained from their equalizer. Genk made one tactical substitution at halftime, bringing on Josue Kongolo for the injured Ken Nkuba.
Three minutes after the restart, Genk completed the turnaround. In the 48th minute, Yira Sor broke forward, controlled the ball, checked onto his right foot, and thumped it past keeper Hornícek off the underside of the bar to put Genk up 1-2. This rapid goal set the stage for an explosive second half.
Braga attempted to respond, with Gabri Martínez forcing a save from Van Crombrugge in the 54th minute. Braga’s coach opted for a triple substitution in the 56th minute to shake up the attack, introducing Mario Dorgeles for Leonardo Lelo , Fran Navarro for Amine El Ouazzani , and Florian Grillitsch for João Moutinho.
However, the changes couldn’t prevent Genk from extending their shock lead. In the 59th minute, Oh Hyeon-Gyu emphatically swept in a goal from a Daan Heymans cutback, extending the lead to 3-1. Zalazar managed to get a header blocked in the 62nd minute , but Genk immediately made another attacking substitution, replacing goalscorer Yira Sor with Yaimar Medina.
Braga finally found a response in the 71st minute, as Rodrigo Zalazar scored his second goal of the evening, heading in a cross from Ricardo Horta to reduce the deficit to 2-3. This brief flicker of hope was immediately extinguished in a minute, as Genk substitute Yaimar Medina responded from outside the box by curling a left-footed shot into the bottom-left corner, making the score 2-4 and restoring the two-goal cushion.
Both teams then turned to further substitutions to either kill the game or chase the impossible. Genk made three changes in quick succession: Jarne Steuckers for Konstantinos Karetsas , Jusef Erabi for Oh Hyeon-Gyu , and Nikolas Sattlberger for Daan Heymans , while Braga brought on Pau Víctor for Ricardo Horta and Diego Rodrigues for the influential Zalazar.
There was to be one final goal in the 86th minute as Fran Navarro bundled in a goal, giving Braga a final lifeline and pushing the score to 3-4. Braga pressed desperately, resulting in a number of late infringement cards. In the 91st minute, Víctor Gómez’s header was blocked , and in the 90+2 minute, Gustaf Lagerbielke’s header from very close range was just a bit too high, effectively ending the match.
The final score stood at 4-3, a surprising result that showcased Genk’s clinical finishing and shattered Braga’s hopes of maintaining a perfect record.
