Nottm Forest Vs Fenerbahçe: Nervy Forest reach Europa League last 16
nottm forest vs fenerbahçe produced a tense second leg in which Kerem Akturkoglu scored twice and Callum Hudson-Odoi's strike ultimately settled the tie. The match left Forest breathing easier as Vitor Pereira's side progressed through a nervy evening.
Nottm Forest Vs Fenerbahçe match report
Callum Hudson-Odoi scored his sixth goal of the season to help Nottingham Forest progress. Kerem Akturkoglu produced a double, the second from a second-half penalty, and briefly put the hosts in danger of overturning Forest's 3-0 first-leg lead from Turkey. The game swung through a series of clear incidents that left the City Ground on edge before Hudson-Odoi's low finish 22 minutes from the end secured progression.
Early break and first goal
Forest were caught on the break on 22 minutes, allowing Kerem Akturkoglu to fire in and put the match into a precarious position. That goal intensified pressure on Nottingham Forest and, although Elliot Anderson later shot wide, the hosts struggled to recover.
Second-half penalty and changes
Vitor Pereira made four changes at the break, including withdrawing James McAtee and Ryan Yates. Just 25 seconds after the restart Jair Cunha tripped Akturkoglu and conceded a penalty; the striker converted the spot-kick, raising anxiety levels among the home support. One of Pereira's half-time substitutes, Callum Hudson-Odoi, then made it 4-2 on aggregate with a composed low finish.
Late chances and stoppage drama
Omari Hutchinson could have made it 2-2 on the night but was denied late on by Tarik Cetin after running clean through. Separate coverage of the match records stoppage-time details: at 90 minutes there were four additional minutes, and at 90+4 Forest saw out the game after Fenerbahçe had made the evening competitive. At 89 minutes, Anderson moved forward and threaded a pass to Hutchinson, whose finish was fired straight into Tariq. At 88 minutes Marco Asensio drove at the heart of Forest's defence and his low, hard shot struck the goalkeeper, who spilled the effort.
Wider match narrative and commentary
The sequence of events was marked by contrasting views of the aggregate outcome in separate summaries: one account gives the aggregate score as 4-2, while another line of coverage states Forest moved on 4-3 on aggregate; both aggregate totals appear in the available material. Commentary within the coverage includes a direct sign-off—"Which means it’s goodnight from me. Peace out"—and remarks from Kári Tulinius about European football and specific clubs: "Roma, Lyon and Stuttgart all have players that can do something special, and coaches who have a clear plan and sensible tactics, " and later that "European football is creaking from the weight of its many sleeping giants, " with Turkey singled out and mentions of Fenerbache, Galatasaray and Samsunspor.
Consequences for Forest domestically
Progress took Forest into the last 16 of the Europa League and will set up a tie with either FC Midtjylland or Real Betis; FC Midtjylland had beaten Forest in October, an outcome that helped spark Ange Postecoglou's downfall, while Forest drew 2-2 in Spain against Real Betis during the league phase. The result was also Forest's first European knockout victory for 30 years.
Injuries, squad limits and managerial context
The visitors were coping with an injury crisis, missing goalkeeper Ederson and only able to name seven substitutes, details that made the night's drama more unexpected. Pereira had thought he might rest Morgan Gibbs-White, Nikola Milenkovic and Hudson-Odoi after last week's 3-0 win in Turkey, but he needed to call on all three to ensure progression. Pereira is only two weeks into his reign, having been parachuted in to replace Sean Dyche this month, and faces the Premier League relegation fight: Forest are only two points above the relegation zone with 11 games left. The manager will have noted lessons on the mental fragility of his players as they balance European momentum with deep domestic trouble.
Other match-thread details captured in coverage include a series of minute-by-minute notes: at 85 minutes discussion of the shifting state of European competition and Turkish clubs; at 83 minutes commentary on the quality left in the tournament and mentions of teams such as Villa and Porto and the Porto manager Francesco Farioli; at 82 minutes a separate tie shows Palace leading Zrinjski 2-1 on aggregate; and at 79 minutes Hutchinson carried forward and slid a pass for Jesus, who found space between Guendouzi and Demir before being denied by the goalkeeper Tariq.
nottm forest vs fenerbahçe ended with Forest advancing to the Europa League last 16, their path shaped by Kerem Akturkoglu's double, a penalty conceded by Jair Cunha, Hudson-Odoi's sixth goal of the season, late chances involving Omari Hutchinson, and the managerial and squad circumstances surrounding Vitor Pereira's early tenure.
