by Rob Wright
FC Porto 1-0 Braga
Falcao 44
Full-time That's it, Porto are the 2011 Europa League Champions. It wasn't a classic by any means, Braga's negative tactics in the first half and lack of attacking prowess in the second saw to that, but those noisey travelling Porto fans inside the Aviva Stadium won't care at all.
90+3 mins Braga have a freekick just inside the Porto half and their goalkeeper Moraes comes forward in what is surely their last chance. The balls is drifted into the penalty area but it comes to nothing and the final whistle is blown.
90+2 mins Braga substitute Meyong bursts forward and gets on the end of a long cross-field through-ball, but his shot goes over and the linesman signals for offside.
90 mins The ball's played forward deep into the Porto penalty area toward the unmarked Silvio but his attempt at a first-time cross is a shocker and he fails to connect with the ball. It's a moment that sums up Braga's night.
89 mins The Porto supporters, who have been one of the best things about this game, are in fine voice as they prepare to celebrate the final whistle. Braga, meanwhile, continue to look like a team devoid of ideas and belief.
87 mins Braga finally work their way into a promising position and Alan steps up to take a cornerkick from the left with the penalty area loaded but it's a woeful effort, well overhit, and trickles behind for a goalkick on the far side.
85 mins The game, meanwhile, is dying a slow and painful death with Braga seemingly oblivious to the fact that they're trailing by a goal with five minutes left in a major European final.
83 mins Hulk fails to live up to his namesake, throwing himself to the ground as if he had just suffered a broken jaw after the arm of a Braga defender comes to within an inch of his face. Not what you want to see from the big man, especially after he's been so impressive.
81 mins All the substitutions and bookings seem to have slowed the pace of the game. Braga, who were in control for a spell there, seem to have lost their sense of urgency and Porto are enjoying more time on the ball as the game enters the last ten minutes.
78 mins Porto make another change, with Varela leaving the pitch and 19-year-old Jame Rodriguez replacing him.
Braga's Paulao is lucky to escape a booking for what appeared to be an elbow on Falcao, but Kaka is stupid enough to complain about the freekick that's awarded against his teammate and talks his way into a yellow card.
75 mins Another chance goes a-begging for Braga. Alan breaks away down the right before cutting the ball back to Meyong on the edge of the box, but the recently introduced substitute makes a hash of his shot and goalkeeper Helton gathers it with ease.
72 mins Porto make their first change of the evening, bringing Belluschi on for Guarin, who after an impressive first-half, has done little.
70 mins Porto spurn a glorious chance to double their lead. Varela is allowed time to move forward with possession and slides the ball out to Hulk on the left-wing. The Brazilian attacker takes a touch before dinking over a fine cross with the outside of his boot, only to see the incoming Varela somehow fail to make contact.
66 mins Hulk finally delivers in a decent corner-kick, but the Braga defenders are equal to the task and tidy up at the back. Braga are going to have to walk a fineline with bookings now, with three of their defenders on yellow cards and all their substitutions used up.
64 mins This is developing into a nice little contest, with plenty of end-to-end football. Braga manager Domingos Paciencia makes his third substitution of the game, bringing on Meyong for the rather ineffective Lima.
60 mins Braga sub' Mossoro, rather stupidly, talks himself into a yellow card after protesting a bit too vigourously that he was fouled.
59 mins That's hearts-in-the-mouth stuff from Porto at the back. Goalkeeper Helton bursts out of his penalty area to intercept a through-ball intended for Lima. The keeper just about manages to elude the striker's challenge before scrambling the ball away. A lack of pace at the back for Porto forced Helton's hand, and its something that Braga are going to look to expose.
57 mins Porto, who have coped well with being up pressure for the first time in the game, are using Hulk as an outlet and the tricky Brazilian wins them a corner that he takes himself. It's another poor one however.
54 mins Braga, who have numbers committed forward, see their attack break down and Garcia is booked for a tactical foul that prevents Porto from breaking away. That's three of Braga's four defenders in the book now.
52 mins Braga look a different team and despite his earlier blunder, Mossoro is giving them a different attacking dimension up front. It's now Porto who are being forced onto the back-foot, with Braga pressing and harrying all over the pitch.
48 mins Porto pick up their first yellow card of the evening as defender Cristian Sapunaru is booked for a fairly hefty challenge on Paulo Cesar. Braga have already shown more attacking intent in these opening minutes of the second half, than in all of the first.
46 mins Braga should be level. Substitute Mossoro is clean through on goal after the Porto midfield nod-off, but he scuffs his shot and Porto goalkeeper Helton, who had little to do in the first half, is able to block it with his feet.
46 mins Braga have wasted no time in making changes, bringing on Kaka and Mossoro, with Hugo Viana and Rodriguez making way. Hopefully this will mean a more attacking line-up from them.
Half-time banter Are you a soccer anorak, but one with two left feet? Don’t despair. Porto coach Andre Villas-Boas serves as an inspiration to poindexters everywhere. Click here to see just how far a healthy smattering of knowledge, gumption and luck can get you.
Half-time Falcao's delightful header is the last significant action of the first-half and the whistle is blown for the break. That goal has changed the entire complexion of the game, with Braga no longer able to just sit back and soak up the pressure. We could have a real game in the second half.
44 min That's a cracking goal by Porto and just on the stroke of half-time. Braga give the ball away in midfield and Porto break forward through Guarin, who scampers down the right before checking back and sending in a delightful ball that's met by the head of the on-rushing Falcao and is sent to the back of the net. Moraes had no chance in the Braga goal.
44 min GOAL PORTO!
41 min Braga are starting to show a little more attack intent. Lima, bursts down the right but his poor cross is easily dealt with. It's not much but it's as much as Braga have shown as an attacking force, outside of Custodio's early effort.
38 min In a rare foray forward, Braga probe down the left with Alan and Lima linking up well, but the attack breaks down and Hulk bursts forward before running into three red shirts and losing possession.
35 min Porto are playing some lovely passing football up to a point, but it all seems to be breaking down in front of the Braga back four.
32 min: Porto are in complete control and after some patient and intricate build-up by Porto, Guarin fires a dangerous cross into the box only to see Verla get his header all wrong.
30 mins Silvio is a lucky, lucky boy to still be on the pitch. He steams into Hulk from behind with both feet and should count his blessings that referee Carballo only produced a yellow card. Hulk is certainly the target for some rough stuff from Braga, but they really shouldn't him angry....they won't like him when he's angry.
Sorry, I'll stop now.
27 min Rodriguez takes down Guarin midway into the Braga half. Hulk shapes up for a strike at goal, but surely he's too far out. Yes he is, but that doesn't stop him and he blasts it harmlessly wide - a waste.
24 mins Braga's Hugo Viana picks up the game's first yellow card for a lively challenge on Hulk. Hulk smashed? Sorry, too obvious.
21 mins Porto are having the lion's share of possession with Braga, as expected, happy to play on the break. After a lively opening spell, the game has gone slightly flat.
18 mins Hulk steps up to take a freekick which is about 25-yards out and to the right of goal but well within shooting distance. Given Hulk's fondness for a shot on goal, it's a surprise when he floats in a delicate, teasing cross that is met by the head of Guarin and sails over. The linesmen had already signalled for an offside, so Guarin's blushes are spared.
16 mins Porto's widemen Hulk and Varela are swapping wings at will and both taking turns to torment right-back Silvio, who looks to be a big weak link in the Braga defence.
14 mins Varela floats in a free-kick from the left that is sent slightly too deep but a Porto head sends it back over. Varela, who has made his way into the box, is first to it and attempts and audacious overhead kick but it's a poor effort and sails high and wide.
11 mins Another Hulk corner from the left isn't dealt with and a more alert Porto side could have caused problems there, as it is, Braga manage to scramble it away.
9 mins Hulk looks a real threat down the right. He picks up the ball before leaving Silvio behind him and delivering a cross that's headed behind on the far side for a corner. Hulk trots over to take the corner himself but it's a poor effort and is easily cleared to safety.
7 mins Close from Porto. Hulk breaks away down the right wing, deftly avoids the sliding challenge Custodio of before skipping back inside and Silvio before blasting the ball from a tight angle, only to see it go wide.
4 min Braga's Custodio has the first chance of the game and really should have done better. His side had a throw in a dangerous position and moved up en-masse, Porto cleared the ball but only to a Braga head, which knocks it back forward. Custodio beats the offside trap and has a clear shot, but he takes its too early and flashes it wide.
1 min And we're underway, Braga look to have set up with just one up front and five across the middle of the field, while Porto seem to have adopted the same line-up, with Falcao spear-heading their attack.
19.43 And here come the officials and the players. The camera cuts away as they walk out but there's a hint of a Porto player touching the trophy on his way past. Shades of Gattuso in the 2005 Champions League final perhaps?
19.40 Phew, that's a relief. Those strange characters are indeed part of the pre-match show, which includes - scandal of scandals - miming drummers. Yes I can confirm that the drummers on the pitch are not hitting their drums! As if those World Cup bid bribery claims weren't enough, Sepp Blatter now has another scandal on his hands.
19.32 RTÉ analyst and this season's Europa League ambassador Ronnie Whelan is given the honour of carrying the trophy out for the pre-match presentation. It's the only club cup that Whelan didn't manage to get his hands on during his time as a player.
He's swiftly followed by a cadre of young men clad head-to-toe in white. I really hope it has something to do with the warm-up show, because the alternative is more than slightly worrying.
19:15 The teams are in, with no surprises in either line up. Porto's players will be more familiar to most observers, with the likes of Joao Moutinho, Falcao and Hulk likely to provide most of their firepower, in a game where they are likely to be on the front-foot.
Braga meanwhile are a more counter-attacking team, happy to soak up the pressure. Tellingly, they have conceded just four goals in eight Europa League knockout games, and claimed the scalp of Liverpool on their way to the final.
FC Porto: Helton, Sapunaru, Rolando, Otamendi, Pereira, Guarin,
Fernando, Joao Moutinho, Hulk, Falcao, Varela.
Subs: Beto, Maicon, Belluschi, Walter, James Rodriguez, Souza, Ruben Micael.
Braga: Artur Moraes, Miguel Garcia, Paulao, Rodriguez, Silvio,
Custodio, Hugo Viana, Vandinho, Alan, Lima, Paulo Cesar.
Subs: Cristiano, Kaka, Mossoro, Helder Barbosa, Meyong, Echiejile, Leandro Salino.
Referee: Carlos Velasco Carballo (Spain)
19:02 The Aviva Stadium is filling up nicely, with the Porto supporters expected to outnumber their Braga counterparts significantly.
The lack of a 'big name' club in the final may have dampened enthusiasm for Irish supporters, with tickets still available this morning, but Porto fans in particular have made their presence felt in Dublin’s city centre today. Let's just hope that their side don't repeat the histrionics of their 2003 UEFA Cup final triumph over Celtic.
19:00 Welcome to our text commentary on this historic night for football in Ireland.
Porto and Braga meet in the final of the Europa League in the Aviva Stadium with a near capacity crowd expected at the home of Irish football.
