Carvalho was appointed to replace Carlos Vicens just two days ago, and he could not have asked for a better start, as Braga went ahead inside three minutes.
Gabriel Silva worked the ball from the left wing into the area, where Jean-Baptiste Gorby and Ricardo Horta combined beautifully to set up a simple finish for Victor Gomez.
The home side continued to put plenty of pressure on the Gent area, but a Joao Moutinho effort over the top was the closest they came to troubling Davy Roef again until the 33rd minute, when the goalkeeper had to turn a Pau Victor shot around the post after a driving run.
Anything Victor could do, Silva could do just as well with a strong run cutting in from the left, but his effort also did no more than sting the palms of Roef.
In first half stoppage time, Christian Burgess shanked an effort wide for Gent, who had shown little sign of the team who had generated at least three shots on goal in 16 of their last 17 games in all competitions, as a Maksim Paskotsi effort from range which drifted well wide was their only other effort of note before the break.
The Buffalos’ fortunes appeared to be changing early in the second half when a lofted pass found Hyllarion Goore in space, but despite having time to set himself, he could only hit the side-netting.
And Braga were soon back on top, as Silva failed to keep a half-volley down and Roef dealt with a pair of Pau Victor efforts, the second of which the Arcebispos recycled well and resulted in Horta turning the ball over the top when it looked easier to score.
Inside the final 20 minutes, Gent finally forced Bernardo into a save, as the ball ran on for Momodou Sonko to hit first time amid a swift attack, but the goalkeeper got a strong right hand to it.
That chance acted as a wake-up call for Braga, and just four minutes later they doubled their lead when Gabri Martinez ran onto Gomez’s through ball and slotted home with his first real involvement in the game after coming on.
The fingertips of Roef turned Horta’s dipping strike onto the crossbar, then Martinez was twice denied a brace, once by the foot of Roef and then by the head of Siebe Van der Heyden on the line, but the Estadio Municipal de Braga continues to be a fortress for the Portuguese side, who have won 14 of their last 16 European home ties and kept 12 clean sheets in the process.
Meanwhile, it’s successive defeats for Rik De Mil’s side after beginning the season 15 matches unbeaten, while it’s just one win in 11 away league phase games in this competition.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Victor Gomez (Braga)
