Nottingham Forest will fancy their chances of making it to the final four of the Europa League
Nottingham Forest came away from the Estadio do Dragao with a 1-1 draw in the first leg of their Europa League quarter-final against Porto, setting up what promises to be a dramatic second leg at the City Ground.
William Gomes put the hosts in front before a Martim Fernandes own goal – one of the more bizarre you will see at this level, the Porto right-back firing a back-pass straight past his own goalkeeper – drew Forest level.
Stefan Ortega was excellent throughout in the Forest goal, making a string of important saves to keep the tie alive.
Manager Vitor Pereira, speaking to TNT Sports after the game, was measured but satisfied. Coming back to his former club and leaving with a share of the spoils was, in his view, a job well done.
“A good result in my opinion,” Pereira said. “To face two competitions we need to play with everyone. The players that started today did good work. In the end, 1-1, the game is open to play at home and decide qualification.
“Porto playing at home are a strong team. They have momentum with supporters. Forest — I try to balance the two competitions, it was very clear we played with nine different players to the last game. I think we did well. The players tried everything. 1-1 is a good result and playing at home we will see what we can do.”
Pereira Had One Eye on Villa
The squad rotation was deliberate and Pereira made no attempt to hide it. Forest’s Premier League survival battle is running parallel to this European run, and with Aston Villa to come on Sunday, the manager acknowledged exactly what was in his mind when he made his changes.
“The first two subs we did I was thinking about the next game against Villa,” he admitted. “It’s very important for us to get points in the league and this is the only way.”
On a disallowed Forest goal – the incident that drew the most attention late in the game – Pereira gave a pointed non-answer. “It is better to keep the opinion with me.”
Captain Ryan Yates was similarly pragmatic, though the satisfaction in his voice was clear. A draw at one of Portugal’s top sides, in a stadium where Porto have been unbeaten in the Europa League all season, is no small thing.
“We’ll take it,” Yates said. “Back to the City Ground, everything to play for. It’s going to be a good game.
“I felt it was a really tactical game, they had spells on the ball, we had to be disciplined, defensively organised. It was a fair result in the end. I think we could have played better, there are things to improve upon. They have won every game here all season in the Europa League, so it can’t be too bad.”
Something Special at the City Ground
For Yates, the second leg represents more than just a football match. Forest’s European journey has galvanised a fanbase that has waited a long time for nights like these, and the travelling support in Porto was, by the captain’s account, every bit as loud as you would expect.
“It’s magical, the support is incredible,” Yates said. “This journey we are on in Europe is special and as you can see they are enjoying it and so are we.”
With the Premier League clash against Villa taking immediate priority, thoughts of the second leg will have to wait, but not for long.
“We have a massive game on Sunday in the Premier League,” Yates added. “Full focus on that, but there’s something special about European games at the City Ground.”