A dramatic stoppage-time strike from Mario Dorgeles handed Braga a narrow 2-1 edge over Freiburg in the first leg of their Europa League semi-final clash in Portugal.
The hosts made a bright start and went ahead inside eight minutes, as Demir Ege Tiknaz latched onto a low delivery from Victor Gomez and calmly slotted into the bottom corner.
Freiburg responded almost immediately, capitalising on defensive confusion in the Braga backline.
Jan-Niklas Beste broke clear and unselfishly set up Vincenzo Grifo, who made no mistake from close range to level the contest.
Braga suffered a setback midway through the first half when captain Ricardo Horta was forced off through injury.
They were later handed a golden chance to restore their lead after Gustaf Lagerbielke was brought down in the box by Philipp Lienhart.
Referee Anthony Taylor pointed to the spot following a VAR review, but Rodrigo Zalazar’s penalty was superbly saved by Freiburg goalkeeper Noah Atubolu, who continues his impressive record from 12 yards.
Freiburg, featuring in their first-ever European semi-final, looked the more threatening side after the break and pushed for a winner.
However, it was Braga who struck the decisive blow deep into stoppage time, as Dorgeles turned home a precise cutback from close range to send the home fans into celebration.
The tie remains finely balanced heading into the second leg at Europa-Park Stadion on Thursday, 7 May, where Freiburg will hope to overturn the deficit.
The aggregate winner will face either Nottingham Forest or Aston Villa in the final at Besiktas Stadium in Istanbul on 20 May.
