"For 67 minutes, Nottingham Forest were at risk of making unwanted history. At that point Fenerbahce were 2-0 up and full of belief that they could achieve the miracle their head coach Domenico Tedesco had been manifesting since their 3-0 first-leg defeat in Istanbul. Only one team in the history of European competition had lost the first leg of a tie by a three-goal margin at home and advanced."
"Vitor Pereira acknowledged the worst mistake Forest could make was to assume their place in the round of 16 was secure after last week's triumph in Istanbul and his much-changed side were disjointed and sloppy. Murillo, who opened the scoring in style after roaming forward from halfway in Turkey, was uncomfortable and erratic after being shunted across to left-back."
"Kerem Akturkoglu scored twice to fuel Fenerbahce's hopes, his second from the penalty spot almost immediately after the half-time restart, but the Forest substitute Callum Hudson-Odoi struck midway through the second half to extinguish the visitors' dreams."
Nottingham Forest faced elimination when Fenerbahce scored twice, including a penalty from Kerem Akturkoglu, to threaten an unprecedented comeback from a 3-0 first-leg defeat. Forest's defensive performance was initially poor, with key players like Murillo appearing uncomfortable in unfamiliar positions and the midfield disjointed. However, goalkeeper Stefan Ortega made crucial saves to keep Forest in the tie. Callum Hudson-Odoi's goal midway through the second half extinguished Fenerbahce's hopes of reaching the Europa League final in May. Forest will face either Midtjylland or Real Betis in the round of 16.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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