Nottingham Forest’s nerve-jangling end to the season could include a European final after they edged past Porto at the City Ground to tee up a Europa League semi-final showdown with Premier League rivals Aston Villa.
Forest, who are still fighting to avoid relegation from England’s top flight, held on after Morgan Gibbs-White’s early goal proved enough to see off the leaders of the Portuguese Primeira Liga, with Porto unable to recover from seeing Jan Bednarek sent off with just eight minutes gone.
Bednarek was dismissed for crashing his outstretched leg into the knee of Chris Wood, with VAR Ivan Bebek recommending that referee Danny Makkelie review the challenge. The home side duly cashed in a few minutes later, with Gibbs-White’s strike deflecting in off Porto’s Pablo Rosario.
William Gomes and Alan Varela came closest to equalising for the 10-man visitors, with both hitting the bar in the second half, but Forest did enough to secure a 2-1 win on aggregate and a semi-final berth — although they will now be sweating on the fitness of Wood, Murillo and Callum Hudson-Odoi, who were all forced off with injuries.
Paul Taylor breaks down the main talking points from a fine European triumph for Vitor Pereira’s side.
How Forest took control inside seven first-half minutes
Stefan Ortega had made what felt like a vital save in the second minute for Forest to deny Terem Moffi when he was one-on-one with the keeper.
But it was in the sixth minute that the tide of the game began to turn emphatically in Forest’s favour. On first viewing, Bednarek’s challenge on Wood looked to have been a clumsy foul.
Replays subsequently demonstrated it was a little worse than that, with the Porto defender having had his foot high and his studs raised as he missed the ball and made robust contact with the striker’s knee.
The VAR officials, led by Croatian Bebek, felt it was also worth referee Makkelie having a second viewing and, when the Dutch official went to his screen, what he saw was enough to convince him that the offence was worthy of a red card, which, after the delays, was shown in the eighth minute.
Within four minutes of that, Forest had immediately made their man advantage count.
Neco Williams had won a challenge in midfield and, when the ball rebounded to skipper Gibbs-White, he immediately rampaged forward towards the edge of the box.
His shot, when he struck it, benefited from a deflection off the leg of Porto’s Rosario, but it was still struck with sufficient purpose to find the back of the net and give Forest a definitive grasp on the game and the tie.
Forest’s players hold up a shirt in support of team-mate Elliot Anderson, who is on compassionate leave following the death of his mother (Molly Darlington – UEFA/UEFA via Getty Images)
How much does a European semi-final mean to Forest?
For a few hours at least, Pereira’s side could allow themselves to put thoughts of a relegation fight to one side to dream of fresh European glory.
Forest are in their fourth European semi-final — and their first since 1984, when a bribe handed to referee Emilio Guruceta Muro helped Anderlecht to secure passage into the final of the UEFA Cup at their expense.
While the visit of Burnley in the Premier League will be the next ‘most important’ game on the horizon, Forest can now look forward to what will surely be a barnstorming semi-final against Midlands rivals Aston Villa.
Pereira’s side rode their luck against Porto, who pushed hard for an equaliser, even with 10 men. But they also held out with the brand of gritty determination that is slowly becoming a notable trait under Pereira, the man who became the fourth manager to take charge of the club — amid a chaotic campaign — in February.
Forest will need every ounce of that between now and the end of the season — in both competitions.
But while the priority will be to avoid relegation — and Villa will pose the sternest of opposition in Europe — Forest can also dare to dream of adding another European trophy to go with the European Cup in 1979 and 1980 won under the legendary Brian Clough.
Is Sunday’s game against Burnley even more important?
This was one of the biggest games the City Ground has hosted in the modern era — the fifth European quarter-final Forest have contested in their entire history and their first in three decades — and this was a night that will have created more memories for the Forest fans in a sellout crowd.
Viewed in those terms, it would seem odd to even consider the notion that a home game against a Burnley side with one foot already in the Championship might hold more importance on Sunday. But that is the reality Pereira faced, both before the game and after the final whistle.
The Portuguese successfully led Wolverhampton Wanderers to safety in a similar situation last season, and the Forest hierarchy — specifically owner Evangelos Marinakis — has made it crystal clear to his head coach that his absolute priority now is to keep Forest out of the bottom three.
And, while with respect to them, a game against Burnley might not hold as much glamour as a quarter-final tie against Porto, you can bet that Pereira will name as strong a team as possible when Forest return to action on the banks of the River Trent.
Pereira’s decision to name a strong side against Porto was rewarded by the result, but it might have come at a price. There were only 16 minutes on the clock when Wood had to be replaced with an injury to his right knee — the New Zealand international has just returned from surgery to repair the cartilage in his left knee — sustained in the challenge from Bednarek that saw the Poland international sent off.
It remains to be seen whether the impact will rule out Wood for the visit of his former club Burnley, but he was not walking well as he limped around the pitch, and two further Forest players limped off midway through the second half: defender Murillo and Hudson-Odoi, who had been introduced as a half-time substitute.
Callum Hudson-Odoi was forced off in the second half (Molly Darlington – UEFA/UEFA via Getty Images)
What did Vitor Pereira say after the game?
“I have a fantastic team, it’s not about the manager,” Pereira told TNT Sports.
“They have the spirit, character and quality. They deserve it. The club and the supporters; they deserve it.
“We need to suffer together and we need to feel proud at the end of a game; feel proud about the supporters and about the result on the pitch.”
On Sunday’s game against Burnley: “We don’t have time to celebrate. Time to recover, come back again, (and be) mentally strong.
“It will be a tough game. We need our supporters again. We need to go again as a family.”
What next for Nottingham Forest?
Sunday April 19: Burnley (home), Premier League, 2.00pm UK time, 9am ET