Nottm Forest Vs Fenerbahçe: Fireworks Throw Match Off Early at City Ground
In the Europa League knockout round playoff second leg at the City Ground, nottm forest vs fenerbahçe was disrupted when Fenerbahçe fans launched fireworks onto the pitch, forcing a three-minute delay. The incident involved a 1, 500-strong away end, saw Jair Cunha, Neco Williams and Archie Brown take direct action on the field, and has left both clubs facing possible UEFA punishment.
Nottm Forest Vs Fenerbahçe: fireworks, three-minute delay and on-field reactions
Moments after the match kicked off, sections of a 1, 500-strong away end launched several fireworks into the Forest penalty area, prompting a three-minute stoppage. Defender Jair Cunha had to take evasive action with his back to the devices, and Neco Williams ducked as he tried to carry one away. Fenerbahçe defender Archie Brown intervened, carrying some pyrotechnics off the pitch while urging calm; Brown was part of Derby's academy as a youngster.
Further fireworks were thrown on to the pitch after Fenerbahçe took the lead in the 22nd minute through Kerem Aktürkoglu, prolonging disruption and drawing attention to the policing and stewarding inside the ground.
Match context: second leg status, kickoff time and last-16 prospects
The fixture is the Europa League knockout round playoff second leg, with updates noted from the 8pm GMT kick-off. Forest go into the contest backed by a 3-0 lead from last week's first leg and are set to face either Real Betis or FC Midtjylland in the last 16, should they progress.
Fenerbahçe’s 22nd-minute goal by Kerem Aktürkoglu briefly raised hopes of a comeback, an effort that was met by more fireworks thrown on to the playing surface.
Players, incidents and in-game moments
On the pitch, several passages drew attention beyond the pyrotechnics. Anderson stormed forward and, after a first touch that put him clear, fired straight into Tarik. Shortly afterwards, Asensio drove at the heart of the Forest defence and shot low and hard at goalkeeper Ortega, who nonetheless spilled the attempt. Hutchinson carried the ball forward and slid a pass for Jesus, who found space between Guendouzi and Demir but drilled a low shot into the keeper’s sprawl despite Tariq being out smartly.
At 77 minutes, a long pass — attributed to someone thought to be Kante — found Akturkoglu, who controlled before the ball was confiscated from him. At 76 minutes there were two more changes for Fenerbahçe, with Brown and Cherif off and Mercan and Ekici coming on. Hudson-Odoi curled an effort just wide at 75 minutes, and Sangaré’s composure was noted as influencing Forest’s play. Wide trickery from Aina saw him dip inside Brown before arcing a cross.
Security, policing and disciplinary implications
There was a large police presence outside the City Ground before kickoff as the vociferous travelling fans were marshalled into the stadium. The scale of the pyrotechnic activity — both immediately after kickoff and following Aktürkoglu’s goal — has left Forest and the Turkish club potentially exposed to UEFA punishment for crowd disorder.
Wider matchday commentary and other Europa League notes
Observers on the night referenced the wider European picture: Kári Tulinius noted that Roma, Lyon and Stuttgart have players and coaches capable of doing something special in this competition, and mentioned an interest in how Stuttgart perform and what Manu Koné can achieve in later rounds. He judged Villa to be the best team left while saying Villa appear to be running out of form and fitness. Tulinius also commented that Turkey feels unique for the number of strong clubs it has, naming Fenerbahçe, Galatasaray and Samsunspor, and reflected that Turkish football has changed since his childhood when England hammered them 8-0 and 5-0.
Elsewhere in the competition, a note was made that Palace still led Zrinjski 2-1 on aggregate with two minutes of the 90 to go, and that Porto remains of interest with a manager, Francesco Farioli, who knows something about how to get results in the cup format.
For the fixture at the City Ground, the combination of on-field events — from Kerem Aktürkoglu’s 22nd-minute strike to late chances for Anderson, Asensio, Jesus and Hudson-Odoi — and off-field disturbances involving a 1, 500-strong away end and a significant police presence will frame any disciplinary review and the immediate fallout from the second leg.
