Nottingham Forest reached their first European semi-final in 42 years after defeating 10-man FC Porto at the City Ground to book a Europa League last-four clash with Premier League rivals Aston Villa.
Having drawn 1–1 in the first leg in Portugal, Forest secured progression thanks to a decisive strike from Morgan Gibbs-White.
The match turned dramatically inside eight minutes when Porto defender Jan Bednarek was sent off for a high challenge on Chris Wood.
Referee Danny Makkelie initially waved play on, but after a VAR review upgraded the incident to a red card, leaving the visitors with a mountain to climb.
Forest capitalised almost immediately, with Gibbs-White putting the hosts ahead just minutes later. The midfielder latched onto a pass from Neco Williams before firing home, with a deflection taking the ball beyond goalkeeper Diogo Costa.
The England international dedicated his celebration to teammate Elliot Anderson, who missed the match following the death of his mother earlier in the day.
Forest suffered a setback when Chris Wood was forced off shortly after the goal, following the earlier challenge.
Despite the disruption, they continued to dominate the first half, with chances falling to Omari Hutchinson, Murillo and Nicolás Domínguez.
Porto improved after the break, creating their best opportunity when William Gomes struck the crossbar from close range.
Late injuries to Murillo and substitute Callum Hudson-Odoi briefly threatened Forest’s control, but they held firm to secure a famous victory at the City Ground.
The win marks Nottingham Forest’s first European semi-final since 1984. They will now face Aston Villa in the Europa League semi-finals, with the first leg scheduled for 30 April and the return leg on 7 May.
In the other semi-final, Braga will meet Freiburg.
