UEL: Forest End 42-Year Wait for European Semi-Final

Porto hit bar twice but exit as Forest win at City Ground

Nottingham Forest beat 10-man FC Porto 1-0 to reach their first European semi-final in 42 years. Gibbs-White scored the winner to set up an all-PL tie with Aston Villa.

Gibbs-White winner sends Forest past Porto to Europa league semis. Forest beat 10-man Porto 1-0 to reach first Euro semi since 1984...

Nottingham Forest beat 10-man Porto 1-0 to set up a UEFA Europa League semi-final with Aston Villa. The 1-0 quarter-final second-leg win at the City Ground sent Forest into a European semi-final for the first time in 42 years.

The Europa League has been a welcome distraction for a Forest side locked in a Premier League relegation fight. The chance to make history was not lost on a lively City Ground crowd.

After an early chance for Terem Moffi, momentum swung Forest’s way when Jan Bednarek was shown a straight red card for a high left-footed challenge on Chris Wood.

Forest turned that one-man advantage into a one-goal lead soon after. Morgan Gibbs-White’s shot took a big deflection off Pablo Rosario and looped past Diogo Costa.

Vítor Pereira’s side were playing with confidence and should have doubled their lead, but Nicolas Domínguez dragged his effort wide.

Not everything went to plan though. Wood was forced off injured after feeling the effects of Bednarek’s challenge.

His replacement Igor Jesus looked lively after coming on. He headed over from Neco Williams’ corner, before Domínguez glanced a header wide from Dan Ndoye’s cross in first-half stoppage time.

The Tricky Trees were almost punished for their first-half wastefulness when William Gomes smashed the crossbar from inside the box after getting on the end of Seko Fofana’s lofted pass.

Forest’s lead still looked fragile, and Vítor Pereira was forced into two more changes after injuries to Callum Hudson-Odoi and Murillo.

The hosts weren’t playing with the same intensity after the break, but Diogo Costa still had to be alert to parry Igor Jesus’ angled strike.

Nottingham Forest hold on 😤#UEL pic.twitter.com/gVF01Li6DV

— UEFA Europa League (@EuropaLeague) April 16, 2026

Alan Varela set nerves jangling again when his speculative effort crashed off the bar, but Francesco Farioli’s Porto couldn’t find a breakthrough on a frustrating night for the visitors.

In the end, Forest had done enough to secure a European semi-final spot for the first time since beating Sturm Graz in the 1983/84 UEFA Cup quarter-finals.

A mouth-watering all-Premier League semi-final with Aston Villa now awaits. Porto exit having still failed to beat an English side in England after 24 attempts, with three draws and 21 defeats.