Nottingham Forest 1-0 FC Porto [2-1 on aggregate]
Nottingham Forest qualified for the semi-finals of a European competition for the first time in over 40 years after edging FC Porto in the last eight of the Europa League on Thursday.
Vítor Pereira’s Reds, who were back-to-back European champions in 1979 and 1980, will meet fellow English side Aston Villa in the next stage, after a Morgan Gibbs-White goal gave them a narrow 1-0 win over the Dragons at the City Ground, earning a 2-1 aggregate advantage.
Speaking after the match, Pereira appeared to concede the tie was massively influenced by an early red card issued to Porto’s Polish defender Jan Bednarek in the second meeting. Forest match-winner Gibbs-White admitted during his post-match interview “we got fortunate with them going down to ten after five minutes” with the dismissal disrupting another positive start by the Portuguese side.
“I’m very proud, because the result we cannot control but we can control what we do on the pitch and the team worked a lot,” Pereira told TNT after the final whistle. “The supporters and the team deserved to move forward and reach the semi-finals.
“The red card of Porto had an impact on the game because [after the sending off] in the first half we created a lot of chances to score the first and the second goal. We didn’t and in the second half [Porto] re-organised the team and as a result it was open until the last minute.
“What pleased me most? The team spirit. In my opinion, the first half was very good. Second half it was about the emotions, it was about keeping the result and scoring the second goal to finish in the game. But in the end we showed the organisation and we kept the result until the end.
“It means in the end we deserved it because we faced a strong team. Porto is a strong team, very competitive, but in the end I think we deserve to win this game today.”
“It looked like we had the extra man” – Farioli
Francesco Farioli, meanwhile, was adamant his team were deserving of more having watched a strong second half from Porto, who pushed hard for an equaliser and struck the woodwork twice on the night. Speaking to the English media, the Dragons boss did not dispute Bednarek’s red card, but was left frustrated at being denied the chance to watch an evenly-contested second leg.
“I think everybody would like to know how the game could have been if, if if….but I guess we will never know," said the Italian. "On the other hand, in the first few minutes we had massive chances, like in Estádio do Dragão. Then of course the red card completely changed the dynamic. Then the first half was about getting to half time to change tactically and make the proper adjustments.
“I think the reaction of the team was fantastic. In the second half we changed the gear and with the way we played, the feeling from outside was like the team with one extra man was Porto and not Nottingham. We did a great match, hit the crossbar twice. If you make the calculations across the two matches, it’s clear the team that deserved to go through to the semi final was us.
“But sometimes deserve is not enough, you need to put the ball in the net and we didn’t do it, especially in Dragão. We missed chances and we paid the price. But again, really proud of this team, of the ten men who finished the match and especially 2,000 people that travelled from Porto to here to be with us and give an incredible boost. Unfortunately, we were not able to give them what they deserve.
“I think it’s definitely one piece more of the many things these guys have done well since the beginning of the season. I’m really proud of this group, I have a big pride to have the chance to work with such a level of players and such a level of human beings. We can take a good feeling from this game, unhappy about the result but almost everything else is positive.”
Burnley the focus for Forest
Forest will be underdogs in their last-four meeting with Aston Villa, although a 1-1 draw between the sides last weekend was enough to demonstrate Pereira’s side can compete. However, the Aveiro-born boss is clear that the club’s battle with relegation from the Premier League, where they are three points clear of the drop-zone, now quickly swings back into priority.
“I’m just thinking about Burnley [this weekend] believe me,” Pereira said. “Because we play them in three days. We need to recover, look at the injuries and mentally be strong in three days. After that I’ll have time to think about Aston Villa. But they’re a strong team of course. We played against them three days ago, it’s not easy because it’s a Champions League team. We’ll be ready for them.”
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“All my money went into my mother’s account. She provided me with what I needed for school and clothes. Even though my father is a pillar, I was much closer to my mother. He was the one who taught me to play football. But a mother’s love cannot be replaced. I missed my mother terribly in difficult situations, especially when I was in tight spots.
