It was the visitors who started the stronger of the two sides, with Ricardo Horta having two opportunities to give his side the lead, only to be denied twice by Jack Butland.
Horta was heavily involved in the first 30 minutes, with his cross into the area being headed wide by the unmarked former Celtic defender Gustaf Lagerbielke as Braga continued to create opportunities.
Rangers began to grow into the contest, with Danilo’s shot from just inside the area being gathered by Lukas Hornicek.
But then, in first-half stoppage time, the VAR instructed referee Allard Lindhout to consult his pitchside monitor, with the Dutch official adjudging that Fran Navarro had handled the ball when attempting to head clear from a corner.
James Tavernier made no mistake from the penalty spot to give the Gers a lead at half-time with his 21st goal in European competition.
The home side created the first opportunity of the second half when Djeidi Gassama’s effort from just outside the area was saved low down by Hornicek after a good spell of pressure.
The game was still very much in the balance with the hour mark approaching, yet their hopes took a big hit when Rodrigo Zalazar was sent off after the referee consulted the monitor and adjudged that he had headbutted Nico Raskin following an altercation.
With Os Arcebispos not offering a great deal going forward, a Rangers mistake appeared their likeliest route back into the game, and that’s exactly what happened as Nasser Djiga’s failed headed clearance gave Gabri Martinez the chance to find the net, landing a real sucker punch at the back post.
Clear-cut opportunities were few and far between all evening, and the closing stages were a tale of what might have been for the Gers as they failed to break down a stubborn Braga side, who in fact had the better opportunities late on.
To sum up their frustrations, the hosts lost Mohamed Diomande to a second yellow card late on.
The Portuguese outfit were happy to leave with a point, which sees them climb into the top eight, while Rangers are finally up and running in this season’s UEL, and still have faint hopes of sneaking into a playoff spot with three games remaining.
Flashscore Man of the Match: James Tavernier (Rangers)
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