Nottingham Forest will face Premier League rivals Aston Villa in the Europa League semi-finals after beating Porto
Nottingham Forest’s Neco Williams after victory over Porto in the Europa League quarter-finals(Image: Getty)
Neco Williams is targeting Europa League glory with Nottingham Forest after a memorable night at the City Ground.
The Reds clinched their place in the semi-finals of the competition by seeing off Porto on the banks of the Trent. Morgan Gibbs-White’s first-half goal secured a 1-0 win on Thursday night and a 2-1 aggregate victory for Vitor Pereira’s side.
They will now face Aston Villa in the final four, with the two Premier League sides fighting to reach next month’s showpiece event in Istanbul. For Forest, their continental adventure must also be balanced with their battle for top-flight survival – but Williams is confident a six-match unbeaten run in all competitions has created momentum just at the right time.
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“As a team, we want to create history,” the full-back told TNT Sports. “That is something we’ve wanted to do this season.
“So far, we are on the right track to do that. It is about staying focused, keep believing and keep the confidence high, and keep building the momentum we have. Hopefully, we can go all the way.”
He added: “We are confident – we always have been. In the league, we are in a position none of us wants to be in but that’s the reality.
“We’ve got to try to get as many points as possible. It’s balancing it with the tournament we are in now.
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“Our aim for this tournament is to go on and win it. We are in the semi-finals and have got two massive games to look forward to, against Aston Villa.”
Porto proved tough opponents for the Reds, despite playing with 10 men for more than 80 minutes following the sending off of Jan Bednarek for a challenge on Chris Wood. The visitors created plenty of chances and hit the bar twice as they pushed for an equaliser right until the final whistle.
“Special night. Leaving the first game at 1-1, it was all to play for,” Williams reflected.
“Things changed early on with what happened with the sending off. It was important that we stayed focused.
“We got our goal and we won the game. That was the main thing coming into this game.”
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