Nottingham Forest - Fenerbahçe: Pereira’s caution and Tedesco’s rotations preceded a 2-1 finish at the City Ground
In a night shaped by pre-match warnings and tactical adjustments, nottingham forest - fenerbahçe produced a 2-1 scoreline at the City Ground after a match that featured two Kerem goals and a late reply from Hudson-Odoi. The result matters because it followed public appeals from both managers about mentality and balance ahead of a UEFA Europa League round-of-16 play-off second leg.
Vitor Pereira’s warning to his Nottingham Forest squad
Nottingham Forest head coach Vitor Pereira spoke at a press conference on Thursday alongside Elliot Anderson, stressing that the worst mistake would be to assume an easy game. Pereira said he knew Fenerbahçe’s mentality, that they had come believing they could win and would fight. He added that, if possible, he would change all 11 players but cautioned that wholesale changes risked losing balance. Pereira underlined the need to find tactical and physical balance and left open the possibility of making some changes for the second leg.
Domenico Tedesco’s starting XI decisions and medical caution
Fenerbahçe coach Domenico Tedesco outlined changes to his starting XI before kickoff, explaining the first match had been difficult and the previous performance was below expectations. He said Nelson Semedo, Levent Mercan and Marco Asensio had played many games and that the medical staff advised even 60 minutes could be risky for them. Tedesco therefore altered the lineup, noting the season was not over and there were many matches and targets ahead.
Nottingham Forest - Fenerbahçe at the City Ground: match sequence
The first half saw Fenerbahçe lead 1-0 at the break. The opening goal came after a fast attack: Cherif carried the ball and provided a pass to Kerem, who finished from close range with his right foot to make it 0-1. Around the 30-minute mark the score remained Fenerbahçe 1-0. Later in the half Cherif fed a run into the box; his shot from a tight angle struck the side netting. Oğuz Aydın’s right-side cross met Kerem, but that effort was deflected out for a corner.
Kerem’s penalty and substitutions
Early in the second half Oğuz Aydın’s cross led to Kerem being brought down by Cunha inside the penalty area and the referee awarded a spot kick. Kerem took the penalty with his right foot and sent the ball to Ortega’s left, converting to make the score 0-2. At some point Oğuz Aydın was substituted and Marco Asensio came on.
Key saves, Hudson-Odoi reply and final action
The match featured a string of notable saves: Hutchinson burst into the box and faced keeper Tarık, who kept out the shot; Jesus cut in from the left and fired a left-footed effort that Tarık also kept out; Marco Asensio had a left-footed attempt that Ortega pushed away; and Cherif controlled a ball near the penalty spot but Ortega denied his left-footed finish. Later Williams struck from outside the box with the outside of his right foot and narrowly missed. On the right, Aina delivered a cross met by Hudson-Odoi in the left diagonal of the box; Hudson-Odoi’s left-footed finish found the far corner and reduced the deficit to 1-2. The final whistle then signalled the end of the contest at the City Ground.
Tactical shape: Tedesco’s three-man defence and offensive emphasis
Tedesco explained the decision for a three-man defence was shaped by personnel: the coach said the squad had only one recognised centre back, Yiğit Efe Demir, and that pairing him with a No. 6 to form a back four would be difficult. Matteo Guendouzi was assigned a defensive role with offensive tendencies, while Mert Müldür—normally a fullback—was expected to push forward. Tedesco planned for Nene and Archie Brown to act as offensive wing-backs, and described a starting structure of two forwards and two No. 8s. He emphasised the team would field seven to eight attacking players but warned they must avoid leaving dangerous spaces; the aim was to score while maintaining control.
Elliot Anderson, present with Pereira at the pre-match press conference, reflected on the atmosphere in the first meeting with Fenerbahçe, calling it possibly the loudest environment he had played in and saying the squad tried to focus on the game.
Separately, the match coverage platform notes that cookies are used for optimal site experience and that logging in implies consent to cookie usage.
What makes this notable is how public managerial concerns about mentality, rotation and player fitness directly preceded concrete team changes and a match that delivered both clinical finishing from Kerem and a late reply from Hudson-Odoi, leaving the tie finely poised after the second leg at the City Ground.
