Servette missed out on qualifying for the Europa League for the second time in a row. The Genevans lost the second leg against Braga 1:2 in front of their home crowd and will now face Chelsea.
With the 0:0 draw in the first leg, the Servetti team had created a good starting position to cause a surprise against the Portuguese representative. The opponent, whose coach had been fired just a few days earlier, seemed unsettled at first. In addition, João Moutinho, who has played 146 times for his country, had to be substituted after just a quarter of an hour. However, the home team, who often seemed erratic in attack, were unable to take advantage of this.
Instead, the Genevans were outplayed with a quick succession of passes just before the half-time whistle and had to go to the dressing room trailing. Enzo Crivelli had the golden chance to equalize in the 52nd minute, but he was unable to capitalize on Timothé Cognat’s beautiful pass. A quarter of an hour later, Braga again played through the Genevan defense with a quick combination and scored the second goal relatively easily. The goal scored by substitute Dereck Kutesa in the 91st minute came too late.
Servette will now move on to the Conference League play-offs, where Chelsea will face a tough opponent. The Genevans will play away in London next week and then at home on August 29th.