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Braga through to UCL proper on penalties

29 August 2012-PA Sport

Braga UEFA Champions League Udinese

Shootout success ... Braga players celebrate (Getty Images)

Braga booked its place in the group stage of the UEFA Champions League after coming through a penalty shootout against Udinese.

After a 1-1 result in the first leg in Portugal, 90 minutes could not separate the teams at the Stadio Friuli as Pablo Armero's 25th-minute header for the host was cancelled out by another header, from Ruben Micael, in the 72nd minute.

However, it could have been so different for the home side with Armero producing a comical mis-kick when bearing down on goal on 58 minutes.

Extra-time produced no more goals and so the contest went to penalties, with Braga winning 5-4. Brazilian midfielder Maicosuel's miss for Udinese with his team's third kick proved decisive as Micael kept his nerve with the 10th spot-kick of the shoot-out to carry the Portuguese side through.

Elsewhere, Anderlecht left it late before sealing a 3-2 aggregate success against Cypriot side AEL.

The Belgian outfit lost the first leg 2-1 and was going out heading into the last nine minutes of the return - until goals from Dieumerci Mbokani and Oleksandr Yakovenko gave it a 2-0 win which took it through.

Joining it in the lucrative group stages is Dinamo Zagreb, which won 1-0 in Maribor to seal a 3-1 aggregate success.

Portuguese defender Tonel got the only goal of the game in the 12th minute for the visitor, with a bad night for Maribor capped with the sending-off of Soares Arghus five minutes from time.

BATE Borisov drew 1-1 at Hapoel Kiryat Shmona to make sure of a 3-1 aggregate victory.

Laszlo Lencse's free-kick gave the Israeli side hope with a goal midway through the second half but its hopes of progress were snuffed out by Aleksandr Pavlov's equaliser four minutes into injury-time.

The fifth team to progress was Malaga. The Spanish side's 2-0 advantage from the first leg proved enough to carry it past Panathinaikos after a goalless draw in Greece.

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