JAKARTA – Nottingham Forest had to struggle to get rid of Fenerbahce in the Europa League playoff. In the second match held at home at the City Ground Stadium, Friday, February 27, 2026 early morning WIB, Forest was forced to surrender 2-1. However, Forest still qualified for the 16th round.
The second playoff match should have been just a formality for Forest. How not, Forest performed optimally and showed the best performance by beating Fenerbahce 3-0 in the first match. The real victory smoothed the way for this English Premier League club to the last 16 because it was achieved at the opponent’s home.
The result makes it predicted that Forest will have no trouble getting rid of Fenerbahce when playing the second leg because they only need a draw. But what happened was the opposite.
Manager Vitor Pereira’s strategy of not fielding the best team was a blunder as Forest instead struggled against Fenerbahce who tried to catch up with the goal deficit despite playing at the opponent’s home.
Yes, Pereira bench-warmed Igor Jesus, Morgan Gibbs-White and Callum Hudson-Odoi which made Forest late hot when facing an opponent who immediately appeared offensive. Fenerbahce himself had to wait until the 22nd minute before overcoming the deadlock when Kerem Akturkoglu broke into the Forest goal.
Leading 1-0, Fenerbahce immediately increased the aggressiveness of the game. However, this Turkish club has not been able to add a goal so that the score remained until the first half ended.
In the second half, Forest, who are also struggling in the domestic competition because they are one strip above the relegation zone, tried to rise.
However, the team coached by Vitor Pereira had difficulty getting out of the pressure. Even the match was only three minutes, Stefan Ortega’s goal was again conceded after Akturkoglu scored his second goal from the penalty spot.
The referee gave Forest a penalty following a foul by defender Jair Cunha to Akturkoglu in the penalty box. After reviewing the incident via VAR, the referee then pointed to the white spot. The penalty was executed by Akturkoglu himself which brought Fenerbahce ahead 2-0.
Fenerbahce only needed one more goal to force extra time or even a penalty shootout. The fans were starting to get worried until Hudson-Odoi broke Forest’s deadlock in the 68th minute. A goal that not only narrowed the defeat but also saved Forest.
The score itself changed 2-1. There were no additional goals and despite losing Forest qualified for the 16th round. This is because they had a 4-2 aggregate lead and in the knockout round will meet Real Betis or Midtjylland.
“I think we really made it difficult for ourselves. Sometimes when you are leading, you feel comfortable. But we showed a good reaction after their second goal. And more importantly, we managed to qualify,” said Hudson-Odoi.
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