UECL: Forest End Utrecht's UEL Campaign with 2-1 Win

FC Utrecht Vs Nottingham Forest

Nottingham Forest secure a 2-1 win over Utrecht, with Igor Jesus scoring a late winner to send the Dutch side out of the Europa League.

The game took a dramatic turn mid-way through the first half, with Utrecht's Miguel Rodriguez...

Igor Jesus scored a late winner as Nottingham Forest pulled off a stunning 2-1 win over FC Utrecht, dumping the Dutch side out of the Europa League. Utrecht's early performance was underwamped, considering the stakes, and they paid the price for their sluggish start.

Nottingham Forest, on the other hand, were clinical, and their first European away win since 1995 will give them a major boost. Utrecht's struggles continue, and they're one of the first teams to be eliminated from the competition.

Callum Hudson-Odoi twice tested Vasilis Barkas in the hosts’ goal inside the opening 10 minutes as Forest cranked up the early pressure, before Morato’s header was headed up and over the bar on the line by a Utrecht defender.

Dyche’s men continued their assault on the Utrecht goal through Douglas Luiz, whose curling effort from distance forced a smart one-handed save out of Barkas.

The game took a dramatic turn mid-way through the first half, with Utrecht's Miguel Rodriguez taking centre stage. His stunning 30-yard strike had Forest's John Victor making a great save, and it looked like the Dutch side were gaining momentum.

Forest’s end to the first half certainly won't have pleased Dyche and his staff, and he reacted by making a double change at half-time, introducing star man Elliot Anderson to try and get his side back in the ascendancy.

Anderson didn’t have a direct impact in Forest’s opener, but Dyche’s substitutes completely changed the game as the East Midlanders nosed ahead within 10 minutes of the restart.

A LATE WIN IN UTRECHT! 🤩 pic.twitter.com/j8CSDpXGa3

— Nottingham Forest (@NFFC) December 11, 2025

Arnaud Kalimuendo scored the goal, benefiting from some fortunate deflections, and netting in consecutive UEL games. But Forest's joy was short-lived, as Utrecht's Souffian El Karouani delivered a teasing free-kick, and Mike van der Hoorn headed home the equaliser.

Utrecht’s tails were up after levelling the scores, but they were dealt a blow when seconds after coming off the bench, Igor Jesus popped up inside the area to slam home a rebound from close range.

Victory was crucial for Forest in their quest to climb up the table, as they now sit on the periphery of the top eight. Utrecht bow out at the league phase, but that’s perhaps not a great surprise given they’re now winless in 17 European matches.