Nottingham Forest 1-0 Porto (agg: 2-1) highlights: Morgan Gibbs-White sends Forest into Europa League semi-finals

A first-half strike from Nottingham Forest captain Morgan Gibbs-White was enough to earn victory in their UEFA Europa League quarter-final tie against ten-man Porto, who struck the woodwork twice in the second period.

Match in brief: Nottingham Forest set up Aston Villa meeting after narrow win

Porto had started brightly in the opening leg seven days earlier and carved out the first chance of the return with barely a minute gone, Forest goalkeeper Stefan Ortega racing off his line to thwart Terem Moffi.

Any Porto momentum disappeared shortly afterwards when centre-back Jan Bednarek was dismissed for a challenge on Chris Wood, and the hosts took control of proceedings from there, captain Morgan Gibbs-White putting the Reds in front in the tie for the first time with a deflected strike that spun past the wrong-footed Diogo Costa.

Morgan Gibbs-White's low strike deflected in off Pablo RosarioUEFA via Getty Images

Forest had a spell of pressure leading up to half-time, Omari Hutchinson and Murillo rustling the sidenetting and Nicolás Domínguez sending a glancing header fractionally wide.

The Dragons, revitalised by a quadruple change at the interval, came within centimetres of levelling ahead of the hour, William Gomes' powerful volley from a Seko Fofana delivery cannoning back off the underside of the bar.

William Gomes was one of two Porto players to hit the woodworkCameraSport via Getty Images

The Premier League team took time to find the fluency of their first-half play, though only a smart Diogo Costa stop prevented sub Igor Jesus from finding the far corner.

However, it was Porto who went closest to getting the second goal of the evening late on as sub Alan Varela's dipping strike smacked the frame of Stefan Ortega's goal.

Steve Bates, reporting from City Ground

Forest make it through to their first European semi-final since 1984, sparking jubilant scenes at the City Ground. But it was no easy ride for Vítor Pereira and his team, despite facing ten men for most of the game after Jan Bednarek's early dismissal. Captain Morgan Gibbs-White scored Forest's only goal of the night shortly after, but a second proved elusive. Porto were gallant losers, competing until the end, with William Gomes and Alan Varela rattling the Forest bar. Pereira's men now march on to an all-English semi-final against Midlands rivals Aston Villa.

Reaction

Morgan Gibbs-White, Nottingham Forest captain, to TNT Sports: "One of the best nights I've had at the City Ground, thanks to the fans and everyone that's made it happen. We said early on that we'd take this competition full-on and we deservedly got the win today."

Vítor Pereira, Nottingham Forest head coach, speaking to TNT Sports: "I have a fantastic team;  it's not about the manager. It's about the team, because they have the true spirit, the character and the quality. And I think they deserve it. The club, the supporters, they deserve it."

Francesco Farioli, Porto head coach, to TNT Sports: "The reaction of the team was fantastic. In the second half, we changed gear. If you make a calculation of the two matches, it's quite clear who deserved to win, but sometimes 'deserve' is not enough. You need to put the ball in the net, and we didn't do it, especially in the Dragão."

Key stats

• Gibbs-White struck his eighth goal of 2026 across all competitions.
• Nottingham Forest have reached their fourth European semi-final, after their last-four ties in the European Cup in 1979 and 1980 plus their 1983/84 UEFA Cup campaign.
• Porto extended their winless run in England against Premier League opposition to 24 matches.
• Forest inflicted the Dragons' second defeat of this Europa League season, both coming against the Reds at the City Ground.

Line-ups

Forest: Ortega; Aina, Jair Cunha, Murillo (Morato 72), Williams; Sangaré, Domínguez; Hutchinson (Hudson-Odoi 46; Bakwa 72), Gibbs-White, Ndoye (Milenković 65); Wood (Jesus 16).

Porto: Diogo Costa; Alberto Costa (Froholdt 46), Thiago Silva, Bednarek, Zaidu (Francisco Moura 46); Fofana, Rosario, Gabriel Veiga (Kiwior 46); William Gomes, Moffi (Deniz Gül 66), Sainz (Varela 46).