Nothing for Boro as defeat brings To Brag about camp to close
PORTUGUESE SIDE TOO GOOD AS VISITORS FALL TO 3-0 LOSS
MIDDLESBROUGH were ruthlessly punished for sloppy starts to both halves and a lack of potency as they ended their Portuguese training camp with a 3-0 defeat by Braga.
A much closer contest than the scoreline suggested, the attacking quality of the Portuguese side was ultimately the difference between the two sides.
This was always going to be a tough test for Chris Wilder’s side as Braga finished fourth in the Portuguese top tier last season and reached the Europa League quarter-finals.
Boro gave a good account of themselves but with two weeks left until the start of the new season, the lack of goal threat was clear and they need a breakthrough in the striker department this summer with three loanees returning to their parent clubs this summer.
Ahead of the game assistant coach Alan Knill had promised a strong Boro team as they ramp up their preparations with a fortnight to go until the season kicks off.
That’s exactly what we got as Chris Wilder named an XI which, as things stand, is as close to what one would expect to start against West Brom.
Paddy McNair was on the bench as he will miss the opening game through suspension after his red card in the final game of last season against Preston.
Duncan Watmore would also likely start, but after missing training on Thursday he wasn’t risked from the start in this one and only played the last 24 minutes.
Braga had the game’s first chance when a ball over the top presented Mario Gonzales with a chance, but he fired his volley over the bar.
Boro were struggling to settle into the game and gain any control of possession, which was giving plenty of encouragement to their opponents.
With Wilder’s side caught in their own half again in the 10th minute, they were punished, falling behind to a wonderful Iuri Medeiros volley that left Liam Roberts with no chance.
While they started to settle at the back after the goal they were still struggling to keep hold of the ball.
A drinks break in the 24th minute provided the perfect opportunity to regroup and for Wilder to set a few things right tactically. Whatever he said worked, with Boro much better after the restart.
Jonny Howson intercepted well in Braga’s half and fed Josh Coburn. He spotted the run of Marcus Tavernier darting into the area but his attempt to find him was put behind for a corner.
That was headed clearer, but Howson provided a lovely flick as it dropped into Tavernier’s path just outside the area, but the Boro midfielder fired over.
Boro had their tails up though and Ryan Giles showed his crossing quality as he pinged a lovely ball in.
Isaiah Jones brought it down towards the back post well and found Tavernier who flicked towards goal from close range, but Matheus made himself big to save it.
Moments later there was another Middlesbrough chance but Coburn failed to direct a header from a corner inside the six-yard box.
Boro were giving a really good account of themselves and controlling much of the action leading up to the interval when Braga broke on them.
The impressive Alvaro Djalo cut in on his left and fired one at goal that wrong-footed Roberts but came off the post.
Coburn went so close to netting an equaliser with what proved the last kick of the half.
Spotting the forward’s dart to the front post, Jones’ low cross found him wonderfully and Coburn flicked the ball goalwards, beating the out-rushing Matheus, but not the near post.
The wastefulness in front of goal is a familiar problem once but they started the second half as sloppy as the first.
New signing Darragh Lenihan was adjudged to have committed a foul inside the box as he competed for a loose ball.
The direction of the ball suggested, as it looked, that the former Blackburn captain was successful in winning the ball but the theatrics of the Braga forward appeared to fool the official who awarded the penalty.
It was coolly dispatched by Andre Horta to give the Portuguese side some breathing round..
That was nothing unfortunate about the manner of Braga’s third goal though, just two minutes after the second.
Medeiros looked tidy in possession throughout, which made it all the more frustrating that he was able to ghost into the penalty area unmarked and latch onto a loose ball to further extend Braga’s lead.
From there Boro struggled to get themselves in the game again as it became a bit of a nocontest.
It became a bit of a training exercise for the hosts as they kept possession without forcing much out of Luke Daniels, while many stoppages for substitutes affected the flow of play too.
The goalkeeper was forced into one really good save as substitute Vitanha looked to have bent one over him, only for his fingertips to just about tip it over the bar.
At the other end, Braga’s second-half goalkeeper Tiago Sa didn’t see much of the ball.
In the end it was a disappointing end to a really positive week in Portugal.
Certainly in that 20 or so minutes leading to half time there was plenty to be encouraged about in how Middlesbrough took the game to such a quality side.
Reinforcements are needed at the top of the pitch, that much is clear, and hopefully with the Djed Spence saga finally close to reaching its conclusion, that can help the club push forward with more incomings of their own.