Braga fought back from conceding an early goal to beat Nacional at the Estadio AXA on the opening weekend of the Primeira Liga.
The Madeirans edged ahead inside two minutes as Tiquinho's effort found a way past keeper Stanislav Kritsyuk.
However, Sporting were awarded a penalty soon after for Luis Aurelio's infringement.
Pedro Santos stepped up to slot his spot kick past Gottardi and pull the hosts back on level terms.
Crislan came close to netting a winner for the hosts with 15 minutes remaining, but Braga took the lead soon after.
The decisive goal came from Joao Roman who, seven minutes after coming as a substitute, beat Gottardi to secure victory for Paulo Fonseca's men.
