AGF and Braga Conference League 0-0 draw, Digi Mart USA News (Randers, Denmark): AGF had to settle for a 0-0 draw with the Portuguese visitors from Braga, leaving the club still without a first win in the Conference League league phase. Aarhus was the better side for much of Thursday’s European match, played on the borrowed home ground at Randers FC.
The hosts created good opportunities but failed to convert them, and with AGF also keeping Braga from scoring, the two teams shared the points in the third round of the league phase. Before the match, the Danish champions had lost one game and drawn another in a difficult Superliga season, and the result leaves them with two points in the Conference League.
It was the second time in under a month that Braga had visited Denmark. In October, the Portuguese side lost 3-0 to FC København at Parken.
Danish Braga striker Jonas Wind started that match against his former club FCK.
On Thursday, Wind travelled with Braga to Jutland. The 27-year-old started on the bench but came on and played the final half hour for Braga.
AGF was also missing several regular players because of injuries, including defensive anchor Frederik Tingager. Even so, the team started strongly and applied heavy pressure on the visitors.
Gift Links and Callum McCowatt created several good chances from the left flank in the first ten minutes. Kristian Arnstad and Rasmus Carstensen had the two biggest opportunities, but Braga blocked both attempts.
Braga also showed its threat and tested AGF goalkeeper Mads Hedenstad several times. The Norwegian keeper made numerous good saves and prevented Braga from taking the lead in the first half.
About 20 minutes into the second half, the hosts had an excellent counter-attacking chance as substitute Frederik Emmery and McCowatt quickly drove the ball toward the Braga goal. Emmery attempted a difficult pass to find McCowatt, but the New Zealander could not quite reach the ball, and the chance fizzled out.
In the 83rd minute, Wind had a major chance for Braga after a mistake by AGF’s Tobias Mølgaard. The Danish striker intercepted the ball close to goal but could not get a shot away.
The decisive goal never came, and the two teams had to share the points.
