Nottingham Forest suffered another Europa League defeat to Midtjylland after Cho Gue-sung’s late header earned the Danish side a 1-0 win at the City Ground in the last-16 first leg.
Forest were aiming to avenge their previous loss to Midtjylland, who came to Nottingham back in October and won 3-2, but were unable to stop history from repeating itself to leave the Reds trailing heading into the return fixture next week.
The home side could not find a way past goalkeeper Elias Rafn Olafsson, who made a string of saves to keep it goalless at the break.
Severe weather conditions in the second half then became an obstacle that both sides had to play through but Midtjylland continued to frustrate the Premier League side, who accumulated 22 shots through the game.
Attacks for the Danish visitors were few and far between but they still posed a threat, and the woodwork came to Forest’s rescue before Cho headed beyond keeper Matz Sels for the all-important winner.
Forest’s last defeat to Midtjylland came under former boss Ange Postecoglou but the recent appointment of Vitor Pereira was unable to stop the same outcome from happening.
The result stretched Forest’s winless run to five games in all competitions as they switch their attention back to their Premier League relegation fight on Sunday with a match against Fulham before trying to change their European fortunes next Thursday in Denmark.
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Ferencvaros 2-0 Braga
Ferencvaros boss Robbie Keane. Alamy Stock Photo
Alamy Stock Photo
Elsewhere in the Europa League, Robbie Keane’s Ferencvaros took a significant step towards the quarter-finals as they secured a 2-0 advantage over SC Braga ahead of the return leg in Portugal next Thursday.
Goals in either half by Gavriel Kanichowsky and Lenny Joseph sealed a hard-fought home victory for the Hungarians at the Groupama Aréna.
Ferencvaros had just 34% possession and completed fewer than half of Braga’s passes in Budapest, but Keane’s hosts withstood spells of Braga pressure — much of which came from their 11 corners — and indeed finished with 11 shots to the Portuguese side’s eight.
The return leg will take place at 3:30pm next Wednesday.
Should the Hungarians advance, Keane will have presided over Ferencvaros’ best European run since they reached the Cup Winners’ Cup final in 1974/75. The club also reached the Uefa Cup semi-finals in ’71/72, having previously won the Inter-City Fairs Cup in ’64-65.
They previously competed in the Europa League Round of 16 in 2022/23 before being knocked out by Xabi Alonso’s Bayer Leverkusen.
Conference League
Crystal Palace 0-0 AEK Larnaca 0
Crystal Palace's Tyrick Mitchell (front) and AEK Larnaca's Robert Mudrazija battle for the ball. Alamy Stock Photo
Alamy Stock Photo
Crystal Palace laboured to a 0-0 draw at home to AEK Larnaca in the first leg of their Uefa Conference League last-16 tie.
Palace created a glut of chances on a wet and windy night at Selhurst Park but failed to score against their Cypriot opponents for the second time this season, having lost 1-0 to Larnaca in the league phase.
French forward Jean-Philippe Mateta came on as a late substitute for his first Palace appearance since January 25 after a move to AC Milan collapsed due to concerns over a knee injury.
Oliver Glasner’s side will go to Cyprus next week seeking to keep alive their first full venture into European football.
Should they get through they could meet two-time runners-up Fiorentina in the quarter-finals. The Italians edged past Rakow Czestochowa of Poland 2-1 in Florence thanks to a stoppage-time penalty.
Strasbourg, who finished top in the league phase, maintained their unbeaten record in Europe this season with a 2-1 win away to Croatian side Rijeka.
Former Tottenham striker Troy Parrott scored both goals for AZ Alkmaar in a 2-1 victory over Sparta Prague, while Spain’s Rayo Vallecano won 3-1 away to Turkish team Samsunspor.
AEK Athens are on course for the quarter-finals after a 4-0 win at Slovenians Celje, while Shakhtar Donetsk won 3-1 at Lech Poznan. Bundesliga club Mainz drew 0-0 at Czech side Signa Olomouc.
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Forest beaten, Palace held, while Robbie Keane's Ferencvaros take big step towards quarters
Europa League
Nottingham Forest 0-1 Midtjylland
Nottingham Forest suffered another Europa League defeat to Midtjylland after Cho Gue-sung’s late header earned the Danish side a 1-0 win at the City Ground in the last-16 first leg.
Forest were aiming to avenge their previous loss to Midtjylland, who came to Nottingham back in October and won 3-2, but were unable to stop history from repeating itself to leave the Reds trailing heading into the return fixture next week.
The home side could not find a way past goalkeeper Elias Rafn Olafsson, who made a string of saves to keep it goalless at the break.
Severe weather conditions in the second half then became an obstacle that both sides had to play through but Midtjylland continued to frustrate the Premier League side, who accumulated 22 shots through the game.
Attacks for the Danish visitors were few and far between but they still posed a threat, and the woodwork came to Forest’s rescue before Cho headed beyond keeper Matz Sels for the all-important winner.
Forest’s last defeat to Midtjylland came under former boss Ange Postecoglou but the recent appointment of Vitor Pereira was unable to stop the same outcome from happening.
The result stretched Forest’s winless run to five games in all competitions as they switch their attention back to their Premier League relegation fight on Sunday with a match against Fulham before trying to change their European fortunes next Thursday in Denmark.
Ferencvaros 2-0 Braga
Elsewhere in the Europa League, Robbie Keane’s Ferencvaros took a significant step towards the quarter-finals as they secured a 2-0 advantage over SC Braga ahead of the return leg in Portugal next Thursday.
Goals in either half by Gavriel Kanichowsky and Lenny Joseph sealed a hard-fought home victory for the Hungarians at the Groupama Aréna.
Ferencvaros had just 34% possession and completed fewer than half of Braga’s passes in Budapest, but Keane’s hosts withstood spells of Braga pressure — much of which came from their 11 corners — and indeed finished with 11 shots to the Portuguese side’s eight.
The return leg will take place at 3:30pm next Wednesday.
Should the Hungarians advance, Keane will have presided over Ferencvaros’ best European run since they reached the Cup Winners’ Cup final in 1974/75. The club also reached the Uefa Cup semi-finals in ’71/72, having previously won the Inter-City Fairs Cup in ’64-65.
They previously competed in the Europa League Round of 16 in 2022/23 before being knocked out by Xabi Alonso’s Bayer Leverkusen.
Conference League
Crystal Palace 0-0 AEK Larnaca 0
Crystal Palace laboured to a 0-0 draw at home to AEK Larnaca in the first leg of their Uefa Conference League last-16 tie.
Palace created a glut of chances on a wet and windy night at Selhurst Park but failed to score against their Cypriot opponents for the second time this season, having lost 1-0 to Larnaca in the league phase.
French forward Jean-Philippe Mateta came on as a late substitute for his first Palace appearance since January 25 after a move to AC Milan collapsed due to concerns over a knee injury.
Oliver Glasner’s side will go to Cyprus next week seeking to keep alive their first full venture into European football.
Should they get through they could meet two-time runners-up Fiorentina in the quarter-finals. The Italians edged past Rakow Czestochowa of Poland 2-1 in Florence thanks to a stoppage-time penalty.
Strasbourg, who finished top in the league phase, maintained their unbeaten record in Europe this season with a 2-1 win away to Croatian side Rijeka.
Former Tottenham striker Troy Parrott scored both goals for AZ Alkmaar in a 2-1 victory over Sparta Prague, while Spain’s Rayo Vallecano won 3-1 away to Turkish team Samsunspor.
AEK Athens are on course for the quarter-finals after a 4-0 win at Slovenians Celje, while Shakhtar Donetsk won 3-1 at Lech Poznan. Bundesliga club Mainz drew 0-0 at Czech side Signa Olomouc.
- With reporting from AFP
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