Nottingham Forest defeated Porto 2-0 in Sean Dyche's first match in charge on Thursday evening.
After enjoying a positive start to the match, in the 17th minute, the hosts were awarded a penalty. Jan Bednarek was the Porto player who gave away the penalty, as he handled the ball inside his own box after going into a duel with Igor Jesus, and the referee pretty much immediately pointed to the spot. Morgan Gibbs-White stepped up to take the penalty for Nottingham Forest, and he calmly slotted it into the bottom left corner to give his side a deserved 1-0 lead.
Following Gibbs-White's opening goal, Porto started to take control of the match after a shaky start. The visitors had some success breaking down the wide areas, especially their right side, and managed to get five shots off, albeit most of them were blocked. Alan Varela had the best and most noteworthy attempt on goal, stinging the hands of Matz Sels from distance with a powerful shot which had plenty of movement on it.
The first half came to a close with Forest in a 1-0 lead.
Porto carried their bright end to the first half into the second half, and in the 51st minute, they had the ball in the back of the net, but it was ruled out after a VAR review showed there was a player offside in the lead-up to the goal. The player in question was Samuel Aghehowa, who returned from an offside position just before there was a goalmouth scramble in Forest's area, which led to Bednarek putting the ball in the back of the net.
In the 68th minute, Forest had a golden opportunity to double their lead, but Callum Hudson-Odoi just took too long to get his shot off. Forest broke well and eventually fed the ball to the winger on the left just inside Porto's box, but after taking too long on the ball, his shot was blocked well by Bednarek to keep the match at 1-0.
In the 75th minute, Forest were awarded their second penalty of the match. Although the referee originally waved the foul away and booked Nicolo Savona for diving, after going to a VAR review, he judged that Martim Fernandes had fouled Savona in the box, therefore, he took away his booking and awarded the hosts another penalty. Although Gibbs-White, who took the first penalty and scored it, was still on the pitch, it was Igor Jesus who stepped up to take the penalty, and he fired it down the middle to double Forest's lead to 2-0.
Jesus' goal was the last significant action of the match, and Forest saw the game out to pick up all three points in Sean Dyche's first night in charge.
Nottingham Forest 2-0 Porto - Match Statistics
Nottingham Forest
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Match Highlights
Nottingham Forest Player Ratings
Morgan Gibbs-White in action for Nottingham Forest against Porto in the UEFA Europa League
GK: Matz Sels - 7/10
Didn't really have much to do outside of producing a good save late in the first half, but he stayed switched on and never really put a foot wrong with the ball at his feet either.
RB: Neco Williams - 7/10
Very solid defensively against Porto's right flank of Pepe and Moura. Williams didn't offer much going forward, but he still put in a solid shift.
CB: Nikola Milenkovic - 7.5/10
Didn't have much to do with the ball at his feet, but produced many important defensive actions, such as clearances and blocks to protect Sels.
CB: Murillo - 7.5/10
Like his centre-back partner, Milenkovic, Murillo also put in a defensively solid performance. He produced plenty of important blocks and clearances, but he also didn't put a foot wrong with the ball at his feet.
LB: Oleksandr Zinchenko - 5.5/10
Looked very shaky and struggled to deal with Pepe's attacking threat in the first half. Zinchenko was substituted just before half-time after suffering an injury.
CM: Douglas Luiz - 8/10
Controlled the midfield at times and was very good between both boxes. The Brazilian did his fair share of dirty work, but he also glided through the midfield at times and acted as a creator for his side.
CM: Elliot Anderson - 8/10
Saw more of the ball than any other player on the pitch. Anderson, like Luiz, was decent offensively but also contributed plenty defensively.
AM: Morgan Gibbs-White - 8.5/10 (Man of the Match)
The best player on the pitch. Not only did Gibbs-White score from the penalty spot, but he also ran the show for Forest at times and was a joy to watch in the final third.
RW: Dan Ndoye - 7.5/10
Wasn't given the ball too many times, but he made the most of it when he got it, regularly showcasing his pace and directness by running down the wing and putting some good crosses into the box.
ST: Igor Jesus - 8/10
Made himself a nuisance for the Porto defenders to deal with due to his physicality and movement. The Brazilian got his much-deserved goal after converting Forest's second penalty of the match.
LW: Callum Hudson-Odoi - 6.5/10
A frustrating night for Hudson-Odoi. Although he had plenty of bright moments, he seemed to lack the decision-making to further Forest's lead.
SUB: Nicolo Savona - 7.5/10
Replaced Zinchenko well and managed to be a real threat for Forest in the final third.
SUB: Ryan Yates - N/A
Didn't do much after coming on.
SUB: Ibrahim Sangare - N/A
Didn't do much after coming on.
Porto Player Ratings
Porto players arguing with the referee in their UEFA Europa League match against Nottingham Forest
GK: Diogo Costa - 6/10
Hardly had a save to make, and there is nothing he could've really done to keep out Forest's goals as they were both penalties.
RB: Alberto Costa - 7.5/10
One of Porto's brightest players. The 22-year-old showed plenty of pace and urgency in the final third, but also managed to stay defensively disciplined despite coming up against a very good winger in Hudson-Odoi.
CB: Jan Bednarek - 6.5/10
Although Bednarek was at fault for giving Forest a penalty, the rest of his performance was actually pretty good. The experienced defender was good with the ball at his feet and managed to produce a key block when Hudson-Odoi had a great opportunity in the second half.
CB: Jakub Kiwior - 7/10
Good when playing the ball out from the back and managed to stay defensively solid despite being on the losing side.
LB: Francisco Moura - 6/10
Seemed to struggle physically and didn't really offer anything offensively. Moura was substituted early in the second half after a pretty underwhelming display.
CM: Alan Varela - 7.5/10
Substituted early in the second half despite putting in a pretty good showing. Varela worked hard and battled well in the midfield, and also managed to test Sels with a good effort from range.
CM: Pablo Rosario - 6/10
Worked hard in the midfield, but never really produced anything of significance with the ball at his feet.
CM: Victor Froholdt - 7/10
Despite not seeing that much of the ball, the young Dane was somewhat of a bright spark for Porto. He looked to drive forward most of the times he picked up the ball, and also put some dangerous crosses into the Forest penalty area.
RW: Pepe - 7.5/10
Porto's brightest player going forward. The Brazilian created some really good chances for his side, and looked like a threat every time he picked the ball up.
ST: Samuel Aghehowa - 5.5/10
Hardly had any involvement in the match aside from having a part to play in Porto's disallowed goal. The big forward didn't receive good service, but he also didn't create anything for himself.
LW: Borja Sainz - 5.5/10
Never really threatened that much down the left flank despite being given the ball in some good areas on several occasions. The Spaniard was substituted after 58 minutes played.
SUB: William Gomes - N/A
Didn't do much after coming on.
SUB: Gabriel Veiga - N/A
Didn't do much after coming on.
SUB: Martim Fernandes - 5/10
Gave away a penalty shortly after coming on. Outside of giving away the penalty, the youngster didn't have much involvement after coming on.
SUB: Zaidu Sanusi - N/A
Didn't do much after coming on.
SUB: Rodrigo Mora - N/A
Didn't do much after coming on.