Nottingham Forest fought to a 1-1 draw with Porto in the first leg of the Europa League quarter-finals, only to emerge victorious thanks to a bizarre long-range own goal.
William Gomez’s goal at the far post put Forest on the back foot early on as the home side started at a fast pace through Dragao, but their lead lasted just two minutes.
There appeared to be little danger when Martim Fernandes won the ball halfway into his own half, but Porto’s defenders didn’t look at him as he attempted a backpass to goalkeeper Diogo Costa.
But the young Portuguese got too carried away with his pass, passing past Costa who was stuck on the edge of the box. That changed the course of the game and then Forest greatly frustrated their opponents and held the advantage at the halfway point of the tie.
How Forest Frustrated the Host
Forest manager Vitor Pereira, who led Porto from 2011 to 2013 and won back-to-back Portuguese titles and was honored before kick-off, was substituted for Sunday’s crucial Premier League home game against Aston Villa.
It meant a first start after a nine-month break for striker Chris Wood, who scored 20 goals last season but had not played for Forest since Ange Postecoglou’s last game in charge in October.
There was also a change of form for the visiting team, who fell three back despite having everyone at sea before Porto took the lead in the 11th minute with a move that worked well, before Fernandes’ unforgettable own goal quickly equalized.
Since losing 2-0 to Forest in the league match earlier this season, the home team had been in good form not only domestically but also in Europe, and had almost control over the rest of the match.
But the closest they came to regaining the lead came with 20 minutes remaining when Stefan Ortega blocked a powerful shot from Gomez. Substitute Victor Froholt then came close to scoring the far corner in the closing stages, set up by Pepe’s brilliant defence-cutting pass.
Forest, in their first European quarter-final since losing to Bayern Munch in the UEFA Cup 30 years ago, still held on and could have won had Igor Jesus’ effort not been ruled out by the video assistant referee for a foul on Costa midway through the second half.
In any case, they must fancy their chances of doing even better under the City Ground lights next Thursday, setting up a possible All-English semi-final with Villa.
Pereira: The players tried everything – good result
Nottingham Forest head coach Vitor Pereira told TNT Sports:
“In my opinion, it’s a good result. We need everyone to play in two competitions. The players who started today did a good job. In the end it was 1-1, the game will be played at home and we will qualify.
“Porto are a strong team, playing at home. They have supporters and they have momentum. At Forest we try to balance the two competitions, but it was clear that until the last game we played with nine different players. I think we did well. The players tried everything.”
“The first two substitutes were thinking about the next game against Villa. It’s very important for us to get points in the league and this is the only way.”
