Callum Hudson-Odoi’s clinical finish saved Nottingham Forest from a major scare as they survived a 2-1 second-leg defeat to Fenerbahce to progress 4-2 on aggregate.
Nottingham Forest have officially booked their spot in the Europa League last 16, but they certainly made their supporters sweat for it.
Despite carrying a massive three-goal lead into the second leg, Forest fell to a 2-1 defeat on the night at the City Ground. While the 4-2 aggregate score looks comfortable on paper, the performance was far from convincing, as the Turkish giants threatened to pull off an improbable comeback.
Through to the last 16 of the @EuropaLeague. 🙌 pic.twitter.com/yBXihHy1uF
— Nottingham Forest (@NFFC) February 26, 2026
The evening started brightly for the hosts, who looked to kill off the tie early. Lorenzo Lucca went close with a header in the first 15 minutes, giving the home fans hope for a relaxed evening.
Turkish giants were even more excited when Kerem Akturkoglu finished off a sharp counter-attack to open the scoring. The goal exposed some uncharacteristic gaps in the Forest defense and breathed life into the visitors’ hopes.
Forest struggled to find a response before the break, looking like a “shadow” of the team that had dominated in Turkey. Elliot Anderson missed a decent chance, but it was Fenerbahce who looked more likely to score again, forcing Stefan Ortega into a vital save.
As the players headed into the tunnel at halftime, the home crowd made their feelings known with a chorus of boos, reflecting a lackluster and nervy performance.
The second half began even worse for the Premier League side. Just three minutes after the restart, Akturkoglu was upended in the box by Jair Cunha, and the Turkish international made no mistake from the penalty spot. With the aggregate score suddenly tightened to 3-2 and plenty of time left on the clock, all the momentum was with Fenerbahce, and Forest looked genuinely rattled.
Knowing they needed a moment of individual brilliance to stop the bleeding, Forest finally found their spark through Callum Hudson-Odoi. In the 68th minute, he received a cross from Ola Aina, worked a yard of space in a crowded box, and calmly slotted the ball into the bottom corner. The goal provided a massive sigh of relief for the City Ground, re-establishing the two-goal aggregate cushion.
With their lead restored, Forest regained control of the contest. Hudson-Odoi nearly added a second with a curling effort, and Igor Jesus missed a one-on-one chance to put the game completely to bed. While they couldn’t find an equalizer on the night, the hosts did enough to frustrate Fenerbahce’s late attacks and see out the remainder of the tie without further drama.
