Nottingham Forest progressed to the Europa League last 16 with a 4-2 aggregate win over Fenerbahce
09:20, 27 Feb 2026
Neco Williams, head coach Vitor Pereira and Ola Aina at the end of Nottingham Forest's play-off second leg with Fenerbahce
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Neco Williams, head coach Vitor Pereira and Ola Aina at the end of Nottingham Forest's play-off second leg with Fenerbahce(Image: Getty)
It was a case of job done for Nottingham Forest. Just. Indeed, only just as they progressed to the last 16 of the Europa League after an almighty scare.
For a good chunk of Thursday night’s play-off second leg, you could cut the tension at the City Ground with a knife. A wounded, depleted Fenerbahce with nothing to lose went close to staging an unlikely comeback - with a bit more composure in front of goal, they might have managed it.
Last week’s 3-0 first leg victory in Istanbul had to do a lot of the heavy lifting for the Reds in the end. Callum Hudson-Odoi’s second-half goal gave them a bit of room to breathe in the final 20 minutes, but plenty of fingernails had been chewed to the quick by that point.
For the most part this was a tough watch and will have provided head coach Vitor Pereira with plenty to mull over. The Portuguese’s third match at the helm finished 2-1 to the visitors on the night, with Forest winning 4-2 on aggregate to go through to the next round. Below, NottinghamshireLive looks at some of the big talking points from the match.
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Risky business
Having gone strong with his line-up in Turkey and then fielded the same XI against Liverpool a few days later, Pereira had indicated changes would be required for this one. He made six, but admitted afterwards it had been a few too many.
Not for the first time this season, several of the Reds’ fringe players fell short. Handed an opportunity to state their case to the new manager, it was one many passed up; the likes of Lorenzo Lucca, James McAtee, Ryan Yates and Morato struggled to make an impact.
“If you have one or two changes, you don’t miss the quality,” Pereira said. “This is the risk when you change a lot. I decided to take this decision and this risk. I needed to think about the Brighton game because it is very important for us.”
Therein lies a key issue for the Reds boss for the remainder of the season. Forest’s first-choice line-up can compete with anyone, but make a few tweaks and the level drops.
Given his side had a healthy cushion to fall back on, Pereira felt shuffling his pack was a risk worth taking with Sunday’s big Premier League game away to Brighton and Hove Albion in mind. Nevertheless, how he treads that fine line in the coming weeks and months may well define the club’s survival battle and how far they go in Europe.
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Different approach
Trailing after a largely poor 45 minutes, Pereira had to turn to some of his big-hitters on the bench for the second half. Such was his level of concern, he made a rarely-seen quadruple substitution.
Although they conceded a penalty soon after the restart, Forest were much better for the reshuffle. Pereira admitted afterwards it was a difficult call to make, hooking four players, but his explanation said much about his man-management skills.
“I was not disappointed with one player, I just felt I needed to do something to face the second half,” he said. “If I say that I’m not happy with the players that started, I’m not being fair with them. I believe if I had changed only one or two players (in the starting XI) it would have been completely different because, playing in the middle of the others, they would have been able to feel the confidence to play at a different level.
“I took the risk, it was my responsibility. It means I must learn about me; it is a lesson for me.”
Compare that to Pereira’s predecessor, Sean Dyche, who rather called players out when he made a triple substitution after a dismal first half against Wrexham in the FA Cup. The dressing room took note of how they had been thrown under the bus on that occasion, and Dyche never really recovered. Thursday showed a clear contrast in the handling of similar situations, with Pereira taking accountability for his decisions.
Food for thought
As much as Pereira suggested it would be unfair to judge those players who came into the starting XI, he will have learnt a fair bit about some. He will also have learnt that playing players out of position rarely ends well, with Murillo unlikely to be deployed at left-back again any time soon.
It wasn’t all bad, though. Although he gave away the penalty that allowed Fenerbahce to go 2-0 up - and it did appear to be a harsh one - Jair Cunha did well overall.
It was the summer signing’s first outing in the Europa League and only his fourth appearance of the campaign, but he came away with credit. He will surely get the opportunity for more minutes between now and May.
Pereira has favoured a three-man defence in the past. He has been reluctant to change too much for the Reds, given the hectic schedule and pressing need for results, but perhaps Jair’s display has shown a switch to a back three might be an option. With Murillo and Nikola Milenkovic alongside him, the 20-year-old would be well supported.
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Ready for the next round
Familiar problems cropped up on Thursday night. A lack of strength in depth and a lack of clinical edge at the top end of the pitch have been issues all season for Forest.
Hudson-Odoi scored an excellent goal, from a brilliant Ola Aina ball, but the Reds could have made life even easier for themselves. Omari Hutchinson squandering a one-vs-one situation was a case in point.
To go far in Europe and to stay out of trouble in the league, Pereira will need to get players firing. He will also need to instil confidence in some and find a way of eeking more out of others.
There are also lessons to learn about how to manage these two-legged affairs, with the added challenge of Forest being away for the second leg of their last 16 tie. On Thursday night, they looked like a team that didn’t quite know how to navigate being 3-0 up.
For now, all that matters is the Reds are through. It wasn’t pretty, but they did indeed get the job done.
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