Braga and Porto through to Aviva Stadium showdown

THE Europa League final at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin on May 18 will be contested by two Portuguese teams after Braga edged past Benfica on away goals and Porto, despite losing on the night to Villarreal, comfortably advanced to the decider.

Braga secured their first ever appearance in a major European final with a nailbiting victory over Benfica in last night’s semi-final second-leg clash at Estadio AXA.

Castro Custodio’s first-half header was sufficient to send Braga through on the away-goals rule as Vandinho’s strike in the 2-1 first-leg defeat a week ago proved crucial.