Nottingham Forest struggled to convert their chances, ultimately losing 1-0 to FC Midtjylland in the first leg of the Europa League round of 16 amid challenging conditions at the City Ground.
Guesung Cho, a substitute, exploited a momentary lapse from Forest defender Ola Aina to score the decisive goal for Midtjylland with just 10 minutes remaining on a rainy night near the River Trent. The home team, now without a win in five matches, managed 22 shots but failed to find the net.
In a bid to fill the stadium, ticket prices were significantly reduced for Forest fans, but they witnessed yet another frustrating performance from their team, who struggled to score in the inclement weather. The match concluded predictably with boos from the crowd.
The decision to replace Sean Dyche with Vitor Pereira has yet to yield positive results. Under Pereira, Forest has lost four out of six matches, and no team in Europe’s top five leagues has lost more games in all competitions during this period.
Elliot Anderson, the standout player who scored against Manchester City last week, attempted to break through the tough conditions, nearly assisting Morgan Gibbs-White and then having his own weak shot saved in an underwhelming second half.
Despite numerous opportunities to score—including a clearance off the line by Midtjylland’s Philip Billing and a long-range save from Omari Hutchinson—Forest lacked the effectiveness needed to secure the lead.
In contrast, Midtjylland was efficient, scoring with only their second shot on target of the match. Though substitute Valdemar Andreasen hit the crossbar and forced an excellent save from Matz Sels, Midtjylland’s patience paid off as they became only the fourth team this century to win twice at City Ground in a single season. Notably, both wins came with goals scored after the 80th minute in European competition.
With a daunting task ahead in the second leg in Denmark next week, Forest has much to overcome if they wish to advance to the quarter-finals. Meanwhile, attention will swiftly shift to their critical Premier League clash against Fulham on Sunday, where they will continue their struggle for survival.
