The Dublin Final

It was two Portuguese clubs that made it through to the 2011 UEFA Europa League final.

FC Porto and more surprisingly Sporting Braga had battled through to attain a place in the Irish capital’s first ever UEFA tournament final. At a distance of only 47.4 km (29.5 miles) little distance separates the cities of Porto and Braga.

This made it the smallest ever distance between two opponents in a UEFA competition final.

Dublin, in the Republic of Ireland, had been selected to host the final match of the 2011 UEFA Europa League at a meeting of the UEFA Executive Committee on 29 January 2009.

Gaining the right to the final was not so much a nod to the efforts of the local Dublin authorities and the FAI but also a pointer to soccer’s now prominent status of the Irish Republic in a European context – a nation more know for Rugby and Gaelic football.

UEFA Europa League Final 2011

Aviva Stadium, Dublin

The 50,000 all-seated Aviva stadium was built on the site of the old Lansdowne Road.

Demolition work of the former had began in late May 2007 while the creation of new infrastructure was initiated in January 2009.

By October of 2009 new roof had been fully installed but the stadium was not fully completed or officially opened until the 14th May 2010.

Gone though was the ornate homely feel of the previous stadium with its high tiered main stand under which the train to Dún Laoghaire ran.

The dated concrete structural feel of the older Lansdowne Road had been replaced by a modern imposing stadium fit to hold top level rugby and football.

The stadium now had a modern bowl shape feel that undulates in a wave-like manner. This was done so as to avoid blocking light to local housing and the immediate residential surrounds.

Four tiers exist on only three sides of the ground.

The northern end of the stadium, due to its proximity to local housing, incorporates only one lower tier of the overall bowl.

In reaching this final Sporting Braga has managed to defeat an incredible ten opponents in a staggering run that saw both Champions League and Europa League football negotiated.

Among those defeated included Sevilla, Celtic, Arsenal and Partizan Belgrade in the Champions League. Liverpool, Dynamo Kiev and the mighty Benfica were swept aside in the Europa League.

The squad is one heavily influenced by Brazilians and reinforced with a smattering of experienced Portuguese.

Standing in the way of Braga were the powerful FC Porto led by a relatively unknown manager called Andre Vilas Boas.

Porto had finished the domestic league season an incredible 38 points ahead of Braga.

The side was a powerful and lethal mix especially strong and bolstered up front by the Colombian James Rodriguez, Hulk and the free scoring Falcao.

On the road to Dublin FC Porto had been free scoring. This included a 10-3 aggregate win over Spartak Moscow in the QF and a 7-4 win over Villareal.

In the end the trophy’s destination was decided by the tournament’s top scorer – Falcao.

Prior to the final the Colombian had struck home 16 goals and it was the swarthy South American who scored the only goal of a scrappy Europa League final.

Braga had resolutely held out until the 44th minute.

Fredy Guarin crossed for Falcao he planted a superb flying header from 10 yards into the top corner of the net.

FC Porto, backed by the majority of those in attendance, were resolute in defense and sharp upfront.

A key player for Porto was the Brazilian keeper Helton who also captained. It was Helton who managed to keep Braga at bay for the duration saving on two occasions in one-on-one situations.

In the end, one moment of clinical finishing proved enough to give Porto the edge in this game. Overall it failed to live up to expectations.

Just about everything Villas Boas did at Porto turned to magic.

After the match at the press conference he spoke about fending off all foreign club interest and big money offers from England. Instead he made an emotional tribute to Bobby Robson the legendary FC Porto manager.

It was only when Villas Boas adventured to Chelsea that his stock was doubted.

At Stamford Bridge a still very young manager encountered the ego of John Terry, the presence of Didier Drogba and the esteem of Frank Lampard. This player dynamic led to his sacking.

But in winning the 2011 final he had followed in the footsteps of the Mourinho era with the Champions League in his sight.

For Braga the adventure to Dublin had been a fantastic journey.

Their manager Domingos Paciência spoke of his disappointment but pride post match paying tribute to his players. He spoke of his teams misfortune in playing a FC Porto side who that season had been too powerful for everyone.

FT: FC Porto 1-0 Sporting Clube de Braga

Venue: Aviva Stadium, Dublin

FC Porto: Helton; Pereira, Sapunaru, Rolando, Otamendi; Moutinho, Guarin, Fernando; Varela, Hulk, Falcao

Sporting Braga: Guilherme, Garcia, Paulao, Rodriguez, Silvio; Viana, Custodio, Vandinho; Alan, Cesar, Lima

Referee: Carlos Velasco Carballo