Claudio Braga missed a decisive penalty that eliminated Hearts from the League Cup at St Mirren, then came off the bench at half-time against Motherwell to score twice, assist involvement, and galvanize a comeback from 3-0 down. Derek McInnes said Braga can be a talisman when confident but explained he has not started Braga recently because Braga tends to drop deep, similar to Lawrence Shankland, while James Wilson offers the ability to run in behind and stretch opposition defenses. Braga finished the second half with six shots — more than any player has recorded in a full Premiership game this season.
Hearts forward Claudio Braga went from enduring the "weekend from hell" to being the man who inspired his team's comeback from 3-0 down at a raucous Tynecastle in the space of a week. Braga missed the crucial penalty which meant Hearts tumbled out of the League Cup at St Mirren, but after coming on at half-time against Motherwell on Saturday he scored twice, was involved in another, and just generally inspired his ailing side.
"He can be that talisman for us when he's playing in that sort of free-flowing vein with confidence oozing from him," Hearts head coach Derek McInnes said. McInnes was asked that question after the 3-3 draw, and answered plainly, saying he selected James Wilson for his ability to run in behind and stretch Motherwell. Braga, he explained, tends to drop off the front line in the same way as first-choice striker Lawrence Shankland.
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