Rio Ave 0-1 Sporting Braga: Match Report, Goals, Stats and Ratings

How Sporting Braga won it

The opening goal came in the 67th minute: Ricardo Horta from the penalty spot for Sporting Braga.

It was 0-0 at half-time, and the second half changed the result.

The referee, C. Ruivo Pereira, showed 3 yellow cards: 2 to Rio Ave and 1 to Sporting Braga.

Rio Ave: V. Freire De Seabra, 4-2-3-1 · Sporting Braga: F. da Silva Maia Carvalho, 3-4-3.

Moneyball's prediction against the result

Moneyball's Match Board pick, Under 2.75, was right: 0-1 bears it out.

The estimate's most likely result was a Sporting Braga win at 63%, and that is what happened. Its single most likely score was 0-1 (13%), exactly the final score.

The goals dried up: the estimate expected about 2.6 and the match produced one.

Over 2.5 goals had been put at 47%; with 1 goal the under came in, as the estimate leaned.

Both teams to score was 45%; they did not both score, in line with the estimate.

Computed before kick-off from both sides' season goals and expected goals as of 2026-11-08, through a Dixon-Coles score model, and left as it was.

Why it went this way

On the day the expected goals were 2.12 for Rio Ave and 0.26 for Sporting Braga.

Rio Ave scored about 2.1 fewer than their chances were worth: poor finishing, or a goalkeeper at his best.

Rio Ave created the better chances, 2.12 xG to 0.26, and still lost. On chances alone, the result could easily have gone the other way.

The run of play itself went against the pre-match reading: Moneyball expected Sporting Braga to create more, and Rio Ave did.

Rio Ave had 3 shots on target, Sporting Braga 2.

Rio Ave had 53% of the ball, but Sporting Braga took the points.

Where the two sides stood before this match

Rio Ave came into it with 11 Liga Portugal matches played, scoring 0.8 and conceding 2.2 a match, with 0.71 expected goals for and 1.77 against, and had won 18% of their matches.

Sporting Braga came into it with 11 Liga Portugal matches played, scoring 1.2 and conceding 1.0 a match, with 1.33 expected goals for and 0.72 against, and had won 45% of their matches.

Rio Ave vs Sporting Braga: the match in numbers

Team statistics from Sportmonks.

Player ratings and man of the match

Man of the match: Pau Víctor (Sporting Braga), rated 7.6 by Sportmonks.

Rio Ave

• Gustavo Mancha 6.9
• Marios Vrousai 6.9
• Jalen Blesa 6.9
• João Tomé 6.7
• Miguel Almeida Patrício 6.7

Sporting Braga

• Pau Víctor 7.6
• Gustaf Lagerbielke 7.4
• João Moutinho 7.3
• Gorby 7.1
• Ricardo Horta 7.0 1 goal

The lowest-rated starter was Ennio Van Der Gouw at 6.2. Ratings run from 0 to 10; around 7.0 is a solid match.

What comes next

• Sporting Braga: Sporting Braga vs KuPS Thursday 26 November 2026 · Europa Conference League

Each preview has Moneyball's estimate for the next match, published before kick-off and marked against the result afterwards, as this one is.

Questions about Rio Ave vs Sporting Braga

What was the score in Rio Ave vs Sporting Braga?

Rio Ave 0-1 Sporting Braga (half-time 0-0), Liga Portugal, Sunday 8 November 2026.

Who scored in Rio Ave vs Sporting Braga?

Ricardo Horta 67'.

Did Moneyball predict Rio Ave vs Sporting Braga correctly?

Moneyball's Match Board pick, Under 2.75, was right: 0-1 bears it out.

Who was man of the match in Rio Ave vs Sporting Braga?

Pau Víctor, rated 7.6 by Sportmonks.

Who refereed Rio Ave vs Sporting Braga?

C. Ruivo Pereira.