Wolverhampton Wanderers FC’s run to the 7th spot in the Premier League last season, which qualified for a berth in the UEFA Europa League, was one of the most surprising stories in the Premier League last season.
While they might’ve had a good run getting to this point, that didn’t prevent obvious disappointment and frustration from showing after they were upset 0-1 at Molineux Stadium by Portugal’s SC Braga in their Group K Europa League opener on Thursday night.
Wolves were the better team for much of the night, holding 60% possession and creating 5 shots on goal to Braga’s 2. However, they just weren’t able to find the net, and after a Ricardo Horta strike in the 71st minute beat goalie Rui Patricio, they simply couldn’t find an equalizer.
There was little that Patricio could do to stop Horta’s strong strike, which caromed off of the side post and into the net after a Wenderson Galeno pass on a counter-attack.
It was a disappointing result for Wolves fans, who had waited since 1980 to see their team participate in a European competition.
Wolves will take to get their first points of the group stage, in which they are very much alive when they take on Besiktas in Istanbul on October 3rd.
