Nottm Forest Vs Fenerbahçe — Nervy 4-2 aggregate win sends Forest into Europa League last 16
In a match billed as nottm forest vs fenerbahçe, Nottingham Forest survived a second-leg scare at the City Ground to progress to the Europa League last 16, advancing 4-2 on aggregate despite a 2-1 defeat at home.
Nottm Forest Vs Fenerbahçe: Akturkoglu double puts Forest under pressure
Kerem Akturkoglu struck twice for Fenerbahçe, opening the scoring when Forest were caught on the break after 22 minutes and then converting a second-half penalty after Jair Cunha tripped him 25 seconds after the restart. The penalty cut the visitors’ deficit to 3-2 on aggregate and left the City Ground tense.
Hudson-Odoi’s low finish seals progression
Callum Hudson-Odoi — whose goal was his sixth of the season — came on at half-time and finished low 22 minutes from the end to make the tie 4-2 on aggregate and ease fears of a complete collapse. Hudson-Odoi also added that it was the winger’s first Europa League goal since scoring for Maurizo Sarri's Chelsea against Dynamo Kyiv in March 2019 in a last-16 match. Omari Hutchinson ran clean through late on but was denied by Tarik Cetin, which left the final aggregate unchanged.
Pereira defended rotations with Brighton in mind
Vitor Pereira, who made six changes after Sunday’s 1-0 defeat to Liverpool, said the decisions were taken with the next Premier League game at Brighton in mind and to recover players for an important match in three days. He acknowledged changing half the team made it hard to keep the level, accepted responsibility for the selection, and said that after conceding the first goal his side lost confidence before recovering in the second half to control the game and result.
Fenerbahçe reaction and Tedesco’s assessment
Fenerbahçe coach Domenico Tedesco praised his players’ personality and belief, said his side had lost the qualification at home and that Forest had overperformed in Istanbul earlier, and added they must accept they are out of the competition but leave with their heads up. The visitors’ fightback — and Forest’s tentative overall performance — made the tie nervy despite the first-leg 3-0 lead for Nottingham.
What comes next for Forest and tournament opponents
Forest will face either FC Midtjylland or Real Betis in the last 16. Midtjylland beat Forest in October, a result credited with sparking Ange Postecoglou’s departure, while Forest drew 2-2 with Real Betis in Spain during the league phase. Pereira reiterated the club’s ambition in the Europa League to progress to the next stage while stressing the need to pick up Premier League points to avoid a difficult situation.
Matchday notes and other page items
The match was played on Thursday at the City Ground and saw four half-time changes, including James McAtee and Ryan Yates being withdrawn. Elliot Anderson went close with a shot wide in the first half. A live match blog for the fixture displayed the message 'Sorry, this blog is currently unavailable. Please try again later. ' Other items on the same page included Premier League news conferences with Slot, Howe & Iraola speaking; a note that sacking Amorim could cost Man Utd nearly £16m; a feature headlined 'Cadillac and Audi - the same ambition but two very different projects'; a piece on a tense family thriller starring James Nesbitt; an interview with Traitors finalist Faraaz about Ramadan 2026; and a review called 'The return of Kyla Harris and Lee Getty's messy, tender comedy. '
Pereira’s side move into the last 16 and now prepare for the upcoming Premier League trip to Brighton in three days and a Europa League opponent to be confirmed between FC Midtjylland and Real Betis.
