Latest Nottingham Forest verdict as Vitor Pereira's Reds draw 1-1 with Porto in Europa League quarter-final first leg
21:59, 09 Apr 2026Updated 22:03, 09 Apr 2026
Nottingham Forest's Chris Wood and FC Porto's Jan Bednarek battle for the ball during the UEFA Europa League quarter final at Estadio do Dragao, Porto.
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Nottingham Forest's Chris Wood and FC Porto's Jan Bednarek battle for the ball during the UEFA Europa League quarter final at Estadio do Dragao, Porto.
Nottingham Forest have it all to play for in next week’s second leg of their Europa League quarter-final after drawing 1-1 with Porto in the first leg in Portugal.
Three unbeaten prior to the international break, the Reds were looking to keep that momentum going on head coach Vitor Pereira’s return to his former club. And they were boosted by the return of last season’s top scorer Chris Wood, back in the team for the first time in almost six months following knee surgery.
It was the hosts who made the better start, though, as goalkeeper Stefan Ortega needed to be alert to a few early openings for Porto. VAR checked and cleared a potential penalty against Murillo for a pull on Terem Moffi but it felt like a breakthrough was coming for the Portuguese outfit.
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They duly took the lead with 11 minutes gone when William Gomes tapped in at the far post as Forest were once again far too open. But just two minutes later the Reds were back on level terms courtesy of a bizarre own goal from Martim Fernandes, who sent a back-pass straight into his own net.
The equaliser was the cue for Forest to settle into the game. Chances were at a premium before the break but they put together some nice moves, although they needed a fine save from Ortega to deny Moffi on the stroke of half-time.
The visitors had the ball in the net just past the hour mark through substitute Igor Jesus. However, the goal did not stand as a VAR check ruled the front man had fouled goalkeeper Diogo Costa.
Porto had chances to retake the lead after that but Ortega helped to keep them at bay, leaving tie finely poised going into the return fixture at the City Ground. Here’s how Reds reporter Sarah Clapson rated the Forest players at the Estadio do Dragao…
Stefan Ortega: Switched on to the hosts’ threat right from the off and kept his team in this tie by making some excellent saves. The Reds owe him a debt of thanks going into the return leg. Rating: 9/10
Zach Abbott: Had a lot to deal with as Porto flooded forward in the opening stages and exposed all sorts of gaps in Forest’s back line. Found his feet, though, and looked increasingly comfortable as the night went on. Rating: 8.5/10
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Murillo: The experienced man in the visitors’ defence, certainly in terms of Forest minutes. Survived a penalty scare early on as three at the back didn’t seem to work. Perhaps brought off at the break with Sunday’s Premier League encounter in mind. Rating: 7/10
Morato: Wasn’t all bad, but just didn’t look entirely convincing when Porto put the pressure on. The Reds’ set-up and a lack of defensive cover at times didn’t help matters, but Brazilian still could have done with better decision making. Rating: 6/10
Dilane Bakwa: Grew into the game and had some promising moments after a shaky start. Looks like there is a player in there, it just needs a bit of coaxing out. He’s not a wing-back, though. Rating: 7/10
Nicolas Dominguez: Made a huge block in the second half when the Reds were defending a corner. Hadn’t necessarily stood out before that but it was still a big moment in the game. Rating: 7/10
READ MORE: Nottingham Forest in pictures: 40 photographs of the match against Porto
Ryan Yates: Covered plenty of ground and got stuck in in typical Yates style, amid a busy display. Midfield could have done with providing more protection for the back line at times, though. Rating: 6/10
Dan Ndoye: Questioned why he wasn’t getting much game time with the Reds when he did an interview while on international duty. Needed to back such comments up by doing his talking on the pitch, but he fell well short in that regard. Rating: 5/10
Morgan Gibbs-White: Not really the Forest No.10’s night. Tried to get involved once the visitors had steadied the ship but it just wouldn’t work for him. A frustrating one. Rating: 5/10
James McAtee: Forced a good save out of the Porto keeper with a decent effort in the second half. Had been relatively quiet before then but did see more of the ball as the match went on. Rating: 6/10
Chris Wood: He’s back! And how Forest have missed him. Didn’t get a sniff in front of goal this time but worked hard for the team, including with his tracking back. A huge boost to have him available again. Rating: 6.5/10
Subs
Nikola Milenkovic (for Murillo, 46mins): Brought a cool head to the defence. Still wasn’t a comfortable second half for the away side, however. Rating: 6.5/10
Igor Jesus (for Wood, 46mins): Will feel hard done by at having a goal controversially ruled out. This competition seems to suit him, though. Rating: 6.5/10
Neco Williams (for Bakwa, 60mins): The Welshman’s 150th appearance for the club. Has grown into a key player in the Garibaldi and was steady again. Rating: 6.5/10
Omari Hutchinson (for Gibbs-White, 60mins): Bright and lively as he injected a bit of energy into the second half. Some positive moments. Rating: 6.5/10
Ibrahim Sangare (for McAtee, 74mins): Might the midfielder have been introduced earlier? His calming presence does make a difference. Rating: 6.5/10
Subs not used: Sels; Hudson-Odoi, Lucca, Aina, Whitehall, Sinclair, Hanks.
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