Nottingham Forest are through to the Europa League last 16 after a nail-biting 4-2 aggregate win over Fenerbahçe, despite losing 1-2 on the night in their second leg clash on February 26, 2026.
Having built a commanding 3-0 lead in the first leg in Istanbul, Forest faced a tough test at home as Fenerbahçe came out firing. The Turkish side took control early, with Kerem Aktürkoğlu opening the scoring in the 22nd minute from a swift counterattack.
The pressure mounted just 24 seconds into the second half when Jair Cunha conceded a penalty, which Aktürkoğlu converted to make it 2-0 on the night and cut the aggregate gap to 3-2. With Fenerbahçe pushing for a third goal that would send them through on away goals, Forest turned to substitute Callum Hudson-Odoi – and the winger delivered in style.
In the 68th minute, Hudson-Odoi picked up the ball on the edge of the box and fired a low shot past the goalkeeper to restore Forest’s two-goal aggregate cushion, securing their place in the next round.
Forest will now await the winner of the tie between Midtjylland and Real Betis, with the draw for the last 16 scheduled to take place in the coming days.
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