Nottingham Forest - Fenerbahçe: Final whistle at The City Ground, 1-2 and tactical stakes ahead of rematch
The Nottingham Forest - Fenerbahçe fixture finished with the final whistle and a 1-2 scoreline at The City Ground. The match produced a mix of saved chances, a penalty, a late goal and tactical questions that both managers addressed ahead of the return encounter.
Nottingham Forest - Fenerbahçe: key moments and the decisive goals
The match included several stopped opportunities before the decisive moments. In a rapid attacking move Hutchinson entered the penalty area and faced goalkeeper Tarık, but his shot was kept out by Tarık. Marco Asensio later met the ball on the right inner channel and struck with his left, only for goalkeeper Ortega to save. Jesus cut in from the left and fired with his left, again denied by Tarık.
Aina found space on the right and delivered a cross; Hudson-Odoi connected inside the box on the left and struck with his left to find the far corner and make the score 1-2. Substitution activity saw Oğuz Aydın withdrawn and Marco Asensio introduced.
Kerem’s involvement changed the scoreboard earlier: after Oğuz’s cross Kerem went to control the ball and was brought down by Cunha; the referee awarded a penalty and Kerem converted with his right into Ortega’s left, recorded in the match notes as 0-2. Another attacking sequence saw Cherif supplied by a Kerem heel pass; Cherif shot from near the spot and Ortega denied him. Several attempts by Kerem also missed, including a single-touch effort from an Oğuz delivery that went wide and a strike that deflected to a corner.
Match flow: saved chances, wide efforts and halftime status
Throughout the first half there were a number of near-misses. After Henderson’s passing error Cherif cut inside and his angled right-foot shot ended at the side netting. Around the half-hour mark Fenerbahçe’s 1-0 away lead was still in place. Anderson had a low-angled attempt from the left side that went narrowly wide. Cherif’s carry from the right and his pass to Kerem resulted in a close-range right-foot finish that hit the target and produced the 0-1 sequence recorded in the match summary. The second half was noted as having begun at The City Ground before the late developments that produced the final 1-2 scoreline.
Vitor Pereira’s outlook before the UEFA Europa League rematch
Nottingham Forest manager Vitor Pereira spoke ahead of the Thursday UEFA Europa League round of 16 play-off second leg against Fenerbahçe and attended the press session with Elliot Anderson. Pereira emphasized that the worst thing would be to assume an easy game, said he understands the opponent’s mentality, and stressed that Forest must play with the same fighting mindset. He added that, if possible, he would change all 11 players because everyone is working to prove themselves, but cautioned that he cannot risk losing balance; tactical and physical balance is necessary and some changes may be made.
Tedesco’s selection and tactical reasoning for Fenerbahçe
Fenerbahçe manager Domenico Tedesco outlined his thinking ahead of the rematch. He described the first match as difficult, noted a new coach had been in place and that the team’s performance had fallen short of expectations. Tedesco said there would be changes in the starting 11. He added that Nelson Semedo, Levent Mercan and Marco Asensio have played many minutes and the medical team advised that even 60 minutes could be risky; the season is not over and many matches and targets remain.
Tedesco explained the decision to use a three-man defense: the squad availability leaves only one center-back, Yiğit Efe Demir, and pairing him with a traditional six would make a four-man line difficult. Matteo Guendouzi will take a defensive role while retaining an offensive mentality. Nene and Archie Brown are planned as offensive wing-backs. Tedesco said the team intends to field two forwards and two number eights, aiming to score while maintaining control; he emphasized the need to avoid conceding space, to correct the runs into gaps seen in the first match, and urged everyone to be brave on the pitch.
Player perspectives and match administration notes
Elliot Anderson described the atmosphere in the first meeting with Fenerbahçe as very good and perhaps the loudest he has experienced, adding that the squad tried to throw themselves into the match. The match report also records in-play details such as Williams firing a shot wide from outside the box and multiple saves by goalkeepers Tarık and Ortega that kept the scoreline tight until the late phases.
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