Nottingham Forest beat 10-man Porto to set up Europa League semi-final with Aston Villa

The Europa League competition provided a much needed break for Nottingham Forest, a team currently embroiled in a tough Premier League relegation fight, and the prospect of making new history clearly energised the enthusiastic audience at the City Ground.

Following an initial opportunity for Terem Moffi, the flow of the game quickly shifted towards the home team after Jan Bednarek received a direct red card for a dangerous left footed tackle on Chris Wood.

The numerical superiority quickly resulted in a scoring lead, with Morgan Gibbs Whites shot taking a significant deflection from Pablo Rosario before looping beyond Diogo Costa.

Vítor Pereira’s team displayed assurance on the pitch and might have increased their lead if Nicolas Domínguez had not pulled his effort wide of the target.

Nevertheless, things did not proceed entirely smoothly, as Wood had to leave the field due to an injury sustained from Bednarek’s foul.

The substitute Igor Jesus appeared energetic upon coming on, nodding just over the bar from Neco Williams’ set piece corner, while Domínguez directed a soft header astray from Dan Ndoye’s delivery during added time in the opening period.

The home side nearly suffered for their wastefulness before the interval when William Gomes struck the woodwork with a powerful effort from close range after connecting with Seko Fofana’s high ball into the area.

Nottingham Forest’s advantage remained precarious, prompting Pereira to make two further substitutions by removing the injured pair Callum Hudson Odoi and Murillo.

Although the hosts lacked their earlier vigour, Diogo Costa needed to react to tip away Jesus’s drive from an acute angle.

Alan Varela heightened the tension for the home supporters when his long range shot struck the crossbar, yet Francesco Farioli’s squad failed to equalise on what proved a disappointing evening for the away team.

In the end, Nottingham Forest achieved sufficient control to earn a place in the European semi finals for the first time since defeating Sturm Graz in the 1983/84 UEFA Cup quarter finals.

An intriguing Premier League showdown in the last four against Aston Villa lies ahead, whereas Porto exit the tournament still unable to defeat a Premier League outfit on English soil after 24 outings (D3, L21).