Nottingham Forest edge 10-man Porto to reach first European semi-final in 42 years

Nottingham Forest edge 10-man Porto to reach first European semi-final in 42 years

Nottingham Forest secured a place in the Europa League semi-finals after a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Porto at the City Ground, sealing a 2-1 aggregate win.

The result marks Forest’s first appearance in a European semi-final since 1984 and sets up an all-English last-four clash with Aston Villa.

Level at 1-1 from the first leg in Portugal, the tie turned decisively in the hosts’ favour inside the opening stages when Porto were reduced to ten men.

Defender Jan Bednarek was shown a straight red card after a VAR review for a high challenge on Chris Wood, leaving the visitors with a mountain to climb for the remainder of the contest.

Forest took immediate advantage of their numerical superiority, with Morgan Gibbs-White scoring the decisive goal just minutes later.

The midfielder collected a pass from Neco Williams before driving forward and firing an effort that took a deflection on its way past goalkeeper Diogo Costa.

The goal sparked a dominant spell from Forest, who controlled possession and territory but were unable to add a second before the interval.

Chris Wood, making a return from injury, was forced off shortly after the opening goal following the earlier challenge, slightly disrupting the hosts’ rhythm.