Nottingham Forest 1-2 Fenerbahce (4-2 agg): Nervy Forest reach Europa League last 16
Nottingham Forest edged past Fenerbahce in the europa league second leg, surviving a scare as Kerem Akturkoglu’s double — including a second-half penalty — put the hosts in position to overturn a three-goal first-leg deficit before Callum Hudson-Odoi’s low finish settled the tie.
Hudson-Odoi’s sixth of the season calms nerves
Callum Hudson-Odoi scored his sixth goal of the season and finished low to make the aggregate 4-2, easing fears of a complete collapse after Fenerbahce’s late fightback. Kerem Akturkoglu had given the visitors real hope with two strikes, the second from the spot after Jair Cunha tripped him 25 seconds after the restart and the penalty was converted. The match had turned when Forest were caught on the break on 22 minutes, allowing Akturkoglu to fire in; Elliot Anderson went close when he shot wide as the hosts struggled to recover.
Pereira’s rotation gamble — thinking of Brighton
Vitor Pereira said he had “made six changes” following Sunday’s 1-0 defeat to Liverpool because he needed to consider the next Premier League game at Brighton on Sunday. Pereira described the night as one of pressure and suspense — “It was like a thriller - with suspense” — and defended his decision as part of a wider plan: “I decided to take this risk [of six changes] because I need to think about the Brighton game [on Sunday], it is very important for us. We need to go there with fuel and energy. My decisions were not just about this game. ”
Pereira also made four changes at the break, withdrawing James McAtee and Ryan Yates when the first half had yielded little, and said Forest still have “ambition in the Europa League” while acknowledging they are “not comfortable in the table in the Premier League” and need points to avoid a difficult situation.
Fenerbahce response and Tedesco’s reaction
Kerem Akturkoglu’s double, which included the second-half penalty, briefly put Forest in danger of blowing their 3-0 first-leg lead. Fenerbahce coach Domenico Tedesco praised his players: “We are proud of the way we played, with personality and belief. ” He added that losing qualification at home hurt and pointed to changes at Forest — “they changed the coach a few days before which changes things, they overperformed in our stadium, we underperformed. ” Tedesco accepted his side were out of the competition but said they could hold their heads up.
Europa League progression and the next opponent
Forest will face either FC Midtjylland or Real Betis in the last 16. The club’s path could pit them against FC Midtjylland, who beat Forest in October and whose victory helped spark Ange Postecoglou’s downfall, or Real Betis, against whom Forest drew 2-2 in Spain during the league phase. Match accounts differ on one detail: one account lists the aggregate as 4-2, while another gives 4-3, but both agree Hudson-Odoi’s goal quelled the late surge and secured Forest’s progression.
Live commentary and late chances
Late-match commentary captured a tense finish. At 90+4 minutes it was noted Fenerbahce had done well to make a match of it, though Forest had enough once most of their best players were on. At 90+1 minutes commentator Kári Tulinius singled out Roma, Lyon and Stuttgart as sides with players who can “do something special. ” The feed added four additional minutes at the 90th minute mark.
In the closing stages, Anderson fed Omari Hutchinson through around 89 minutes but Hutchinson’s finish was fired straight at Tarik Cetin. Shortly before that, at 88 minutes, Marco Asensio drove at the Forest defence and shot low; Neto Ortega spilled the effort. Commentary at 85 minutes returned to Turkish football’s strength, noting Fenerbahce, Galatasaray and Samsunspor, and at 83 minutes pundits discussed remaining contenders in Europe, naming Villa, Forest and Porto and mentioning Porto manager Francesco Farioli. The live feed also recorded that at 82 minutes Palace still led Zrinjski 2-1 on aggregate, and earlier sequences described Hutchinson carrying the ball and sliding a pass for Jesus with Tariq moving off his line.
The live blog concluded with the sign-off line: “Which means it’s goodnight from me. Peace out, ” and mixed reflections on broader Premier League matters, including a throwaway debate about Reece James versus Ola Aina for a right-back pick and speculation over Spurs’ season — commentary that underlined the match-night texture of the coverage.
Forest now turn attention to the Premier League trip to Brighton on Sunday, and await confirmation of whether Midtjylland or Real Betis will be their last-16 opponent in the Europa League.
