Late Gabriel Silva Strike Completes Santa Clara Comeback Against Braga

CD Santa Clara produced a battling second-half turnaround to defeat Sporting Clube de Braga 2–1 on matchday 31 of the Primeira Liga, clinching victory through an 83rd‑minute winner from Gabriel Silva.

The visitors struck first on 30 minutes. Rodrigo Zalazar finished a move created by Luisinho, giving Braga a 1–0 lead and putting Santa Clara under early pressure on home soil. Moments earlier, Klismahn had gone into the referee’s book for Santa Clara, setting the tone for a combative contest that would feature multiple cautions on both sides.

Primeira Liga FINISHED

2026-04-26 17:00

CD Santa Clara

2 - 1

Sporting Clube de Braga

Matchday 31 REGULAR_SEASON

The opening stages had already forced an early change for Santa Clara, with Pedro Ferreira withdrawn in the 3rd minute and José Tavares coming on. Braga then reshuffled heavily at half-time and just after the interval, introducing Paulo Oliveira, Jean-Baptiste Gorby and Vasconcelos in a triple change, before later bringing on Florian Grillitsch.

Santa Clara’s response arrived in the 71st minute. Gonçalo Paciência levelled the match at 1–1, converting after defender Frederico Venâncio provided the assist to reward the hosts’ persistence. That goal shifted the momentum firmly towards the Azorean side.

With Braga collecting a series of yellow cards in the second half, Santa Clara pressed on and completed the comeback in the 83rd minute. Gabriel Silva, who had been booked shortly after the break, found the decisive goal to make it 2–1, turning the match in Santa Clara’s favour late on.

Further substitutions from both teams followed, including the introduction of Elias Manoel and Darlan Mendes for Santa Clara and Rodrigo Mordomo for Braga, as the visitors chased an equaliser that never arrived.

Detailed data such as full line-ups, possession figures and shot statistics were not available at the time of writing. However, the confirmed events underline a resilient Santa Clara performance and a frustrating afternoon for Braga, who could not build on Zalazar’s opener.

Full match details: Santa Clara vs Braga.

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Primeira Liga Standings

Season: 2025/26

#	Team	P	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Form
1	FC Porto	32	27	4	1	64	15	49	85	W W W W D
2	Sporting Clube de Portugal	32	23	7	2	82	23	59	76	W D D L W
3	Sport Lisboa e Benfica	32	22	10	0	69	22	47	76	D W W W D
4	Sporting Clube de Braga	32	16	9	7	60	32	28	57	D L W D W
5	FC Famalicão	32	14	10	8	41	29	12	52	D W D D D
6	Gil Vicente FC	32	13	11	8	46	32	14	50	D W L D
7	Vitória SC	32	12	6	14	39	48	-9	42	L W W D
8	Moreirense FC	32	12	6	14	37	47	-10	42	W L W D L
9	GD Estoril Praia	32	10	8	14	52	53	-1	38	D L L L L
10	FC Alverca	32	10	8	14	34	50	-16	38	L W L W W
11	FC Arouca	32	10	6	16	41	62	-21	36	D L W L W
12	Rio Ave FC	32	8	11	13	33	52	-19	35	D L D W L
13	CD Santa Clara	32	8	9	15	30	40	-10	33	D W D L
14	CD Nacional	32	8	7	17	35	43	-8	31	L W W L W
15	CF Estrela da Amadora	32	6	10	16	36	54	-18	28	L L L L L
16	Casa Pia AC	32	5	11	16	29	56	-27	26	L L L D L
17	CD Tondela	32	5	10	17	24	52	-28	25	W D L L D
18	AVS	32	2	11	19	24	66	-42	17	W D D D