Nottingham Forest’s squad and supporters left frayed after Europa League scare — what the knockout escape changes

Who feels this most are the players and fans who watched a clear first-leg cushion nearly evaporate in the Europa League second leg. Callum Hudson-Odoi — whose strike was his sixth of the season — ultimately settled the tie, but Kerem Akturkoglu’s double, including a second-half penalty, forced a late scramble that left Vitor Pereira’s side shaken and thinking about league survival as much as continental progress.

Impact on squad selection, energy and next fixtures in the Europa League

Here’s the part that matters: Pereira made six changes after a Sunday 1-0 defeat to Liverpool, explaining the rotation as a risk taken with the upcoming Premier League trip to Brighton in mind. He later made four more switches at half-time — withdrawing James McAtee and Ryan Yates — and one of the half-time substitutes, Callum Hudson-Odoi, produced the low finish that eased fears of complete collapse.

Match details and the tense sequence that followed

Nottingham Forest progressed to the last 16 of the Europa League, though match summaries differ on the exact aggregate total (one record lists the tie as 4-2 on aggregate while another lists it as 4-3 on aggregate; this discrepancy is unclear in the provided context). The match swung when Forest were exposed on the break at 22 minutes, allowing Kerem Akturkoglu to score. Jair Cunha conceded a penalty 25 seconds after the restart when he tripped Akturkoglu; the striker converted that spot-kick to double his tally and raise the anxiety levels.

Twenty-two minutes from the end Hudson-Odoi drilled a low finish that was decisive for progression. Late on Omari Hutchinson ran clean through but was denied by Tarik Cetin, and Elliot Anderson had earlier gone close when he shot wide. The game finished with stoppage-time action noted at 90+1 and 90+4 minutes in running coverage; one live account recorded Forest as having "more than enough once they got most of their best players on. "

Wider competitive context and next opponent possibilities

Forest will face either FC Midtjylland or Real Betis next in the Europa League. Midtjylland previously beat Forest in October — a result tied in commentary to Ange Postecoglou’s subsequent downfall — while Forest had drawn 2-2 in Spain against Real Betis during the league phase. Pereira framed the club’s approach as balancing two fronts: advancing in the Europa League while trying to improve an uncomfortable position in the Premier League table and secure points to avoid a difficult situation.

Match tone, coach reactions and visiting manager remarks

Pereira described the win as moving forward and likened the game to a thriller with suspense, acknowledging the team had been "suffering a bit" and stressing the need to think beyond a single match. Fenerbahce coach Domenico Tedesco said his team were proud of their performance, noted that losing at home had cost them qualification, and reflected that a recent coaching change on the opponent’s side had an impact; he accepted elimination but said his players could hold their heads up.

• Callum Hudson-Odoi scored his sixth goal of the season and the decisive strike for progression.
• Kerem Akturkoglu scored twice for Fenerbahce, one from a penalty after Jair Cunha’s foul 25 seconds into the second half.
• Pereira made six pre-match changes after a Sunday defeat to Liverpool and four more switches at half-time.
• Forest’s next Premier League fixture is away at Brighton on Sunday; squad energy and rotation were cited as reasons for selection choices.
• The tie’s aggregate total differs across accounts (listed as both 4-2 and 4-3); this remains unclear in the provided context.

The live coverage surrounding the game included a range of color and opinion: a sign-off from a match writer, reflections about the quality of the competition and other clubs in the Europa League, and minute-by-minute observations — for example, an 89th-minute sequence where Anderson set up Hutchinson whose finish was saved, plus a late Asensio shot that was spilled by Ortega in one account. Comments in running coverage also ranged wider: suggestions that the middle of the Premier League table is strong, tangents about Spurs’ future, and named references to players like Reece James and Ola Aina when discussing underappreciated picks.

The broader liveblog tone considered continental balance — noting Roma, Lyon and Stuttgart as teams with game-changing players and managers — speculated on the prospects of Villa, Porto and others, and flagged Turkish clubs as stirring again, with Fenerbahce described as having been strong this season despite elimination. One running thread noted Palace leading Zrinjski 2-1 on aggregate in a different match.

The real question now is how Forest manage momentum and squad freshness across the Premier League and the Europa League with travel and rotation pressures. A few quick signals will confirm the next turn: the identity of the opponent (Midtjylland or Real Betis), how Pereira adjusts his starting XI for the Brighton game, and whether key fringe players like Hudson-Odoi and Hutchinson continue to deliver decisive contributions.

What’s easy to miss is that tactical decisions made to protect league standing shaped the night as much as the on-pitch moments — the rotation that invited risk, the halftime swaps that reversed some momentum, and the single low finish that ultimately decided progression. The match coverage here contained a number of divergent minute-by-minute impressions and at least one unfinished live-text excerpt, which suggests some live reports cut off before full post-match wrap-up.

A brief editorial aside: the sequence of coach rotation, an early away goal, a penalty inside 25 seconds of the second half and a substitute finish make this feel like a compressed season-defining episode for both clubs.