Forest hold nerve to reach Europa League Last 16 | OneFootball

Nottingham Forest survived a second-leg scare against Fenerbahce to secure their place in the Europa League last 16, progressing 4-2 on aggregate despite a 2-1 defeat on the night at the City Ground.

Holding a commanding three-goal advantage from the first leg, Forest appeared in control early on. However, the tie shifted in the 22nd minute when Kerem Akturkoglu finished off a swift counter-attack to give the visitors belief.

The atmosphere grew increasingly tense, and matters worsened almost immediately after the interval. Jair Cunha brought down Akturkoglu inside the area just seconds into the second half, and the forward calmly converted from the spot to reduce the aggregate deficit to one.

Sensing vulnerability, the Turkish side pressed for another, but the hosts steadied themselves. Vitor Pereira’s half-time changes proved decisive, and one of his substitutes delivered the crucial moment.

Callum Hudson-Odoi restored breathing space with 22 minutes remaining, collecting the ball inside the box before driving a composed finish into the far corner to re-establish a two-goal aggregate cushion.

That strike effectively ended the visitors’ momentum, and although Forest were far from fluent, they did enough to see the tie through and keep their European campaign alive.

They now await either FC Midtjylland or Real Betis in the next round.

Incidents: The story of the match

1':

The match begins

Fenerbahce takes the lead against Nottingham Forest, making it 1-0. Kerem Aktürkoglu scores with a right-footed shot from the center of the penalty area, placing the ball into the bottom left corner after a quick counter-attack.

22':

GOAL Fenerbahçe: Kerem Aktürkoğlu (Fenerbahçe) scores!

Kerem Aktürkoğlu scores goal number 5 in the competition (9 matches) Kerem Aktürkoğlu scores goal number 12 for his team (32 matches)

24':

Opportunity wasted. Elliot Anderson from Nottingham Forest attempted a right-footed shot from a challenging angle on the left, but it narrowly missed the target. The assist came from Omari Hutchinson.

35':

Opportunity wasted. James McAtee of Nottingham Forest attempted a header from the right side of the penalty area but failed to find the target. The assist came from Nicolás Domínguez.

38':

Missed opportunity! Sidiki Cherif from Fenerbahce took a right-footed shot from a challenging angle on the right side, but it went just wide.

40':

Missed opportunity! Kerem Aktürkoglu from Fenerbahce attempted a right-footed shot from the center of the penalty area.

Nottingham Forest 0, Fenerbahce 2. Kerem Aktürkoglu from Fenerbahce successfully scores the penalty, striking the ball with his right foot straight down the middle of the goal.

48':

GOALFenerbahçe: Kerem Aktürkoğlu (Fenerbahçe) scores penalty-kick!

Kerem Aktürkoğlu scores goal number 6 in the competition (9 matches) Kerem Aktürkoğlu scores goal number 12 for his team (32 matches)

54':

Missed opportunity! Neco Williams from Nottingham Forest took a right-footed shot from outside the penalty area that nearly found the top right corner but ultimately went wide. The assist came from Callum Hudson-Odoi.

Nottingham Forest 1, Fenerbahce 2. Callum Hudson-Odoi finds the back of the net for Nottingham Forest, striking with his left foot from the left side of the penalty area into the bottom right corner. The assist comes from Ola Aina, who delivered a perfect cross.

68':

GOAL Nottingham Forest: Callum Hudson-Odoi (Nottingham Forest) scores!

Callum Hudson-Odoi scores goal number 1 in the competition (9 matches)

76':

Missed opportunity. Callum Hudson-Odoi from Nottingham Forest attempted a right-footed shot from the left side of the penalty area, but it went wide.

90':

Missed opportunity! Morato from Nottingham Forest attempted a header from the center of the box but couldn't find the target. The cross was delivered by Callum Hudson-Odoi.

998':

The referee whistles for the end of the match