Nottingham Forest survived a major scare to beat Fenerbahce 3-2 on aggregate in the Europa League playoff, securing their place in the last 16 despite a second-leg defeat at the City Ground. Substitute Callum Hudson-Odoi scored the crucial goal to extinguish Fenerbahce's hopes of a remarkable comeback.
Fenerbahce, trailing 3-0 from the first leg in Istanbul, took a 2-0 lead in the second leg through a Kerem Akturkoglu double. His first came from a counterattack in the 22nd minute, and he added a penalty just 25 seconds after the half-time restart. The Turkish side needed only one more goal to force extra time, but Hudson-Odoi struck in the 67th minute to restore Forest's aggregate lead.
Forest head coach Vítor Pereira made four substitutions at half-time, introducing Hudson-Odoi, Ola Aina, Igor Jesus and Ibrahim Sangaré to stem the tide. The changes paid off as Forest regained control, and Aina's chip found Hudson-Odoi, who controlled, twisted past Nelson Semedo and fired into the far corner.
Pereira admitted his much-changed side were disjointed and sloppy in the first half. 'It was a thriller – with suspense,' he said. 'We had to suffer.' Forest will learn their last-16 opponents on Friday, with Midtjylland or Real Betis possible.
Fenerbahce's hopes of reaching the Europa League final in Besiktas Stadium are over. Head coach Domenico Tedesco said: 'We lost the chance to qualify at home in Kadikoy.'
