Nottingham Forest reach Europa League last-16 after late Fenerbahce fightback
Nottingham Forest booked their place in the UEFA Europa League last-16 despite a dramatic second-leg defeat by Fenerbahçe at the City Ground on Thursday night. Forest lost 2-1 on the night but advanced 4-2 on aggregate after a commanding 3-0 win in the first leg in Istanbul. After taking control of the tie with a strong away performance last week, Forest entered the second leg with confidence. However, Fenerbahce opened the scoring in the 22nd minute when Kerem Aktürkoglu drove home following a swift counter-attack, giving the visitors a lifeline. Moments later, a penalty was awarded to Fenerbahce following a challenge in the box, and Aktürkoglu converted to make it 2-0 and cut Forest’s aggregate lead. Forest responded in the second half when Callum Hudson-Odoi fired home in the 68th minute — his first European goal of the season — effectively securing progression despite the loss on the night. The match was marred by crowd trouble early on, with Fenerbahce supporters throwing fir...