By ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published: 15:08 EST, 19 February 2026 | Updated: 15:08 EST, 19 February 2026
Vítor Pereira made an impact in his first game in charge, leading Nottingham Forest to a 3-0 victory at Fenerbahçe in the first leg of their Europa League playoff on Thursday.
Defender Murillo, forward Igor Jesus and captain Morgan Gibbs-White scored a goal apiece to put Forest in command ahead of the second leg at the City Ground.
In Thessaloniki, PAOK was beaten 2-1 by Celta Vigo on goals from Iago Aspas and Williot Swedberg in a rematch of the Greek side´s 3-1 loss to the Spanish team in the league phase.
Zakaria El Ouahdi scored twice and Bryan Heynen added one for visiting Genk in a 3-1 victory against Dinamo in Zagreb.
In Norway, Argentine forward Santiago Castro scored the winner for Bologna from a tight angle to secure a 1-0 victory over Brann.
Among late games, Celtic was in action against Stuttgart and Lille faced Red Star Belgrade.
Nottingham Forest's Murillo, center, defends a high ball during a Europa league play-off first leg soccer match between Fenerbahce and Nottingham Forest in Istanbul, Turkey, Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Emrah Gurel)
Like in the Champions League, the top eight finishers in the league phase advanced automatically to the last 16. The teams placed from nine to 24 entered a two-leg playoff.
The second leg is scheduled for next Thursday.
Pereira became struggling Nottingham Forest´s fourth coach of a turbulent season only on Sunday, replacing Sean Dyche, who was fired after being in charge for just 114 days.
This was his first game in charge ahead of hosting defending champion Liverpool on Sunday as Forest is 17th in the Premier League and one place above the relegation zone.
Murillo received a pass from Elliot Anderson and unleashed a fierce shot from outside the area which slightly deflected off defender Milan Skriniar before finding the bottom right corner of the net in the 21st.
Jesus doubled the lead with a header shortly before halftime off a corner kick with his seventh goal of the campaign.
The Brazil forward then set up the third in the second half for Gibbs-White.
Pereira is in his second coaching job of the season. In November, he was fired by Wolverhampton Wanderers after a winless start to the Premier League season.
Crystal Palace had to settle for a 1-1 draw away at Zrinjski Mostar in Bosnia in the third-tier Conference League. Ismaïla Sarr gave the Premier League side a 1-0 lead but Karlo Abramovi´c salvaged a draw for the Bosnian champion.
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Nottingham Forest's Morgan Gibbs-White, celebrates scoring his side's third goal during a Europa league play-off first leg soccer match between Fenerbahce and Nottingham Forest in Istanbul, Turkey, Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Emrah Gurel)
Bologna's Santiago Castro and Brann's Fredrik Pallesen Knudsen, right, in action during the Europa League soccer match between SK Brann and Bologna, in Bergen, Norway, Thursday Feb. 19, 2026. (Paul S. Amundsen/NTB via AP)
PAOK's Dimitrios Chatsidis controls the ball during a Europa League playoff soccer match between PAOK and Celta de Vigo in Thessaloniki, northern Greece, Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Giannis Papanikos)
Crystal Palace's goalkeeper Dean Henderson saves in front of Zrinjski's Kerim Memija during Europa Conference League play-off soccer match between Zrinjski and Crystal Palace in Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026. AP Photo/Armin Durgut)