Nottingham Forest moved a significant step closer to the Europa League round of 16 with a 3-0 victory over Fenerbahce in the opening leg of their play-off clash.
Match Report
Goals from Murillo, Igor Jesus and Morgan Gibbs-White marked an ideal beginning for Vitor Pereira in charge of Forest, with the new boss even able to withdraw key figures well before full-time in Turkiye.
Soon after Mert Muldur headed off target for Fenerbahce, Murillo broke the deadlock in spectacular style. He surged past defenders before drilling a long-range effort into the bottom-right corner in the 21st minute.
The home side had a penalty shout turned down after a VAR review when the ball hit Murillo’s arm — which was positioned by his side — and their frustration deepened before half-time. Jesus nodded home from close range after Gibbs-White glanced on a corner.
Five minutes after the restart, the Brazilian forward repaid the assist, laying the ball into the path of Gibbs-White inside the area. The England international squeezed his finish through Ederson’s legs despite stumbling as he struck it.
Marco Asensio saw a deft touch comfortably saved by Stefan Ortega, while Callum Hudson-Odoi was denied by Ederson at the other end, as Forest protected their three-goal cushion heading into next week’s return leg at the City Ground.
Dream start for Pereira
Pereira may have expected sterner resistance from his former club, yet Forest controlled proceedings from start to finish. They generated 2.86 expected goals (xG) from 23 attempts, compared to Fenerbahce’s 0.48 from just six shots.
Jesus’ seven goals in the Europa League this season represent the outright highest tally by a Forest player in a single campaign in major European competition, and he also leads the way in the 2025-26 tournament.
He accounted for 1.23 of Forest’s xG from three efforts on goal and added an assist, despite completing only eight passes before being replaced in the 61st minute.
