Nottm Forest Vs Fenerbahçe: Nervy Progression, Pitch Incidents and Immediate Fallout for Club, Fans and Police

Who feels the impact first? For supporters, players and local policing the answer was immediate after the nottm forest vs fenerbahçe tie on 26 Feb, 2026: a football result that brought relief on the pitch and an investigation off it. Forest advanced to the Europa League last 16 despite a 2-1 home defeat that left players, coaching staff and match-day stewards managing a volatile mix of near-comeback drama and stadium safety concerns.

Immediate effects on players, staff and supporters

Forest’s progression — a 4-2 aggregate win after a 1-2 reverse at the City Ground — shifted the immediate focus from celebration to recovery. Players had to cope with a late scare from Kerem Aktürkoglu’s double, including a second-half penalty, while Vitor Pereira’s rotation decisions and halftime changes framed consequences for squad fitness ahead of a Premier League trip to Brighton on Sunday. For fans and police, the fallout centers on flare use, a delayed match and multiple arrests that now require evidence review and possible sanctions.

Nottm Forest Vs Fenerbahçe — the match moments that mattered

The tie on 26 Feb, 2026 featured a quick early blow for the home side when Forest were caught on the break in the 22nd minute and Kerem Aktürkoglu finished from a move started by Sidiki Cherif. Forest, having won the first leg 3-0 in Istanbul, looked shaken; Elliot Anderson came close before the break but the hosts trailed at half-time. Pereira made four changes during the interval, replacing James McAtee and Ryan Yates among others, and introduced Igor Jesus, Callum Hudson-Odoi, Ola Aina and Ibrahim Sangaré.

Just 25 seconds after the restart Jair Cunha tripped Aktürkoglu and the striker converted the penalty to make it 2-0 on the night. Callum Hudson-Odoi — whose strike was his sixth goal of the season — answered in the 68th minute with a low finish from an Aina cross to restore a 4-2 aggregate advantage. Omari Hutchinson later ran clean through but was denied by goalkeeper Tarik Cetin as the visitors pushed for a famous comeback.

Crowd trouble, delays and the arrests detailed

The City Ground match was disrupted by pyrotechnics and crowd incidents. Play was stopped more than three minutes immediately after kick-off when players had to avoid fireworks thrown from sections of a 1, 500-strong away end; match action was also delayed for several minutes in the first half while multiple flares thrown onto the pitch were removed. Nottinghamshire Police said they received multiple reports of small flares being lit in the away end and later discovered a section of seating in the away end to be damaged after fans left.

Officers arrested three people in connection with separate incidents: a 37-year-old man after a flare was thrown towards the home end, a 44-year-old man on suspicion of assaulting a steward, and a 38-year-old man on suspicion of going onto the playing area at a designated football match. Police indicated separate investigations are ongoing, that they are analysing available footage, and are appealing for information from attendees.

Managerial context, rotation and short-term consequences

Vitor Pereira acknowledged he had made six changes to the starting line-up following a 1-0 defeat to Liverpool on the preceding Sunday, saying the rotation was motivated by the need to prepare for the Brighton game and to manage player energy. Pereira framed the Europa League ambition as advancing to the next stage while also noting unease with the club’s Premier League position. Fenerbahçe coach Domenico Tedesco accepted his side were out of the competition but highlighted that Forest had changed their coach a few days earlier and that such changes can alter dynamics; he remained proud of his team’s performance at the City Ground.

Quick takeaways and forward signals

• Sporting outcome: Forest progress to the Europa League last 16 despite a 1-2 defeat on the night; aggregate score 4-2.
• Player impact: Hudson-Odoi’s goal (his sixth of the season) was decisive in extinguishing a potential comeback led by Aktürkoglu’s double and penalty.
• Safety and policing: three arrests were made (men aged 37, 44 and 38) and police are analysing footage after flares/fireworks from the away end caused multiple stoppages and damaged seating.
• Fixture risk signals: Pereira’s six changes and the halftime substitutions underline short-term rest/rotation priorities ahead of Brighton; police appeals for information will determine next steps on stadium discipline.

Here’s the part that matters: the result advances Forest in Europe but the match also produced immediate operational and legal work for authorities and club stewards.

It’s easy to overlook that the tie arrives with a recent thread of results — FC Midtjylland beat Forest in October, a result linked in context to a prior managerial change, and Real Betis remain the other potential last-16 opponent after a 2-2 league draw in Spain earlier in the season. Those prior moments shape both the footballing stakes and the scrutiny on selection choices now.

Writer’s aside: What’s easy to miss is how explicitly Pereira tied his rotation to the Brighton game rather than just to this Europa League tie; that framing matters for assessing whether selection or tempo cost Forest on the night.