Nottingham Forest survived a scare to book their place in the Europa League Round of 16, losing 2-1 at home to a spirited Fenerbahce side on the night but winning their Knockout Round Play-off tie 4-2 on aggregate.
Vitor Pereira made six changes from the side which started last week’s 3-0 first-leg win in Istanbul, with captain Ryan Yates returning and Jair Cunha, the young Brazilian defender signed from Botafogo last summer, making his home debut.
Elliot Anderson and Omari Hutchinson carried most of Forest’s early threat at the City Ground, Lorenzo Lucca almost connecting with the latter’s fizzing ball across goal.
But it was the visitors – also much-changed, in their case due to injuries – who drew first blood on the banks of the River Trent. A ruthless counter-attack saw Sidiki Cherif race towards the Forest box and square for Kerem Akturkoglu to sweep home a first-time finish into the bottom corner.
Anderson almost responded for the hosts moments later, cutting in from the left and sending a low right-footed shot just past Tarik Cetin’s far post, but that was as close as Forest came during on opening 45 minutes in which they failed to register a shot on target.
Fenerbahce were visibly growing in belief as the half went on, helped in no small part Forest’s looseness in possession. Akturkoglu ought to have done much better after his side won the ball in one such instance, dragging his effort well wide after being teed up in a great position by Oguz Aydin.
Stefan Ortega was then forced into a crucial save, doing superbly to keep out Cherif’s shot which deflected off the outstretched leg of Morato, Akturkoglu almost adding an assist after N’Golo Kante had opened up the Forest defence with alarming ease.
Acting decisively following a sub-par first half, Pereira made no fewer than four half-time changes: Ola Aina, Ibrahim Sangare, Callum Hudson-Odoi and Igor Jesus came on in place of Murillo, Yates, James McAtee and Lucca.
Forest, though, could hardly have made a worse start to the second half, Cunha conceding a penalty almost immediately after the restart by tripping Akturkoglu.
Fenerbahce’s centre-forward duly stepped up and sent Ortega the wrong way from 12 yards to bag a brace, reduce the aggregate deficit to a single goal and amplify the nerves already setting in around the City Ground.
Much like after conceding the first goal, Forest almost struck straight back, but Cunha – who dispossessed Cherif before playing a neat one-two with Hutchinson – was unable to make amends, giving Cetin a routine first save of the night to make.
Neco Williams, wearing the armband in place of the substituted Yates, then sent a powerful drive just wide from 25 yards as the home side pushed to restore some breathing space.
And they eventually got it through a combination of two of their substitutes: great skill from Aina down the right allowed him to send in deep cross for Hudson-Odoi, who controlled well and finished low into the bottom right-hand corner via a slight flick off Nelson Semedo, leaving Fenerbahce needing to find two goals in a little over 20 minutes.
Hudson-Odoi flashed one wide from a similar position as Forest looked to kill the tie, before Cetin denied Jesus one-on-one to keep the Turkish team in with a shout.
The Fenerbahce goalkeeper was called into action again to thwart Hutchinson after he broke in behind in the final minutes of regulation time, but Hudson-Odoi’s goal ultimately proved to be enough.
Forest are through to the last 16 of a major European competition for the first time since 1996. They will discover their opponents – either Midtjylland or Real Betis – in Friday’s draw.
Pereira’s men then turn their attention back to the Premier League relegation battle when they travel to Brighton & Hove Albion on Sunday.
