Nottingham Forest are in the semi-finals of the Europa League after beating Porto at the City Ground
09:21, 17 Apr 2026Updated 09:31, 17 Apr 2026
Morgan Gibbs-White shows support for teammate Elliot Anderson after scoring for Nottingham Forest against Porto(Image: Getty)
From Seville to Graz, Utrecht to Braga, Istanbul to Herning and Porto, and now to the West Midlands, this wild continental adventure is not over yet for Nottingham Forest.
The dream of writing another glorious European chapter in the Reds’ gilded history remains alive. The class of 2025 are now just two games away from a shot at silverware.
In this madcap, unpredictable and thoroughly gripping season, anything could happen. Premier League rivals Aston Villa will be favourites when the two face off in the last four of the Europa League, but this Forest side are not without fight.
Under Vitor Pereira, there is a steadfast unity at the City Ground, too. It was evident in abundance on an emotional evening as the hosts clinched their semi-final spot.
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Before Thursday’s match, Pereira had spoken about Forest being a family. Against Porto, they came together to get behind one of their own and were also carried through by unwavering backing from the stands.
It was the kind of night to fuel belief and fire a sense of anticipation for what might be to come; the kind of night to live long in the memory. Below, NottinghamshireLive looks at some of the big talking points from the Reds’ win as they toppled Porto 1-0 to triumph 2-1 on aggregate.
Show of support
After scoring what proved to be the only goal of the game in the 12th minute, Morgan Gibbs-White raised aloft a shirt bearing a message for grieving teammate Elliot Anderson. Alongside the midfielder’s name and the number eight, it read: “Family first. We are all with you.”
Anderson missed the match following the death of his mother, Helen. But he was very much front of mind on the banks of the Trent as Forest showed their support.
The “Geordie Maradona” chant echoed around the ground shortly after kick-off and throughout the evening. When the final whistle had blown, players and staff came together to pose in front of Reds supporters with the aforementioned shirt.
Gibbs-White’s voice wavered when he spoke to TNT Sports afterwards. “Really emotional night,” he said. “It’s a big shame. He’s an incredible kid and no one deserves this, but we’re all with him.”
Anderson is at the heart of this group; he is a much-loved member of the dressing room. On a night of deep sadness for his family, Forest signalled this one was for him.
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Strong spirit
Finding themselves in their first European semi-final since 1984 is somewhat against the odds for the Reds. They were targeting this trophy right from the beginning of the campaign, but not too many observers predicted them to get this far given the way the past months have panned out.
Even heading into their quarter-final second leg, progression was far from a gimme. And that was certainly not the case as the evening went on – despite the visitors going down to 10 men.
Porto are a strong side and they had Forest nerves jangling at times. They hit the woodwork twice and kept pushing for a goal until the end. Right up until the last minute, this game was in the balance.
Pereira’s men were not exactly at their best. But they toughed it out and showed the resilience the Portuguese has identified as being a key characteristic for the run-in.
Injury woes
Juggling the demands of European success and the battle for Premier League survival remains a delicate balancing act for Pereira. This win was not without cost.
Forest had gone with a strong starting XI but there was a collective intake of breath when Chris Wood required treatment barely quarter of an hour in. The striker has only just recovered from a lengthy lay-off for a knee injury so there was plenty of concern when he was clattered into by Jan Bednarek.
The Porto man was sent off for the horrible tackle following a VAR review. Wood was eventually forced off but did indicate to reporters afterwards he “should be OK” – fortunately, the challenge was to the opposite knee to which he had surgery earlier this season.
The signs seem positive for Murillo, too, after the centre-back made way with a problem in the 72nd minute. But the outlook isn’t quite so encouraging for Callum Hudson-Odoi, who was seen on crutches post-match and looked devastated when he hobbled off.
Hudson-Odoi covered his head with his shirt and appeared close to tears when he was substituted at the same time as Murillo. Given the importance of the weeks ahead, both domestically and internationally, the Reds could really do with some good news with regards to the trio.
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Onwards to the semi-finals!
Forest’s season is certainly delivering drama. It has had twists and turns aplenty, and it still has some way to run.
This European journey has been one to savour. Reds fans have had to wait a long time to get back to competing on this stage; indeed, this is new territory for a whole generation of supporters.
Amid the turmoil of four different head coaches and a relegation scrap, progressing this far in the Europa League had seemed a pipe dream. But here Forest are in with a chance of reaching the final in Istanbul and with it a place in next term’s Champions League.
Before their meeting with Villa, however, the focus reverts to the Premier League battle. There is much work to be done to finish above the dreaded dotted line, with a huge game to come at home to Burnley on Sunday.
The Reds will go into that clash on their longest unbeaten streak of the season, with Thursday having made it six games without defeat in all competitions. The 1-0 success also represented Pereira’s first City Ground victory.
It wasn’t pretty, but few inside the stadium cared a jot as the final whistle was greeted by jubilant scenes. Forest are in the semi-finals of the Europa League, just let that sink in.
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