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#Forest #beats #Villa #Europa #League #semifinal #firstleg #Palace #wins #Conference #League #leg">Forest beats Villa in Europa League semifinal first-leg; Palace wins Conference League away leg Chris Wood scored from the penalty spot to give Nottingham Forest a 1-0 victory over Aston Villa in the first leg of their all-English Europa League semifinal on Thursday.
In a matchup of two teams hoping to revive former European glory, the win at the City Ground put Forest a step closer to what would be its first continental competition final in 46 years.
Wood fired his 71st-minute penalty high into the net, giving goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez no chance to save after defender Lucas Digne was whistled for handball.
“It’s nice to have the advantage but going to Villa Park will be a tough game,” the New Zealand striker told the TNT Sports. “But we’ve done the job here at home and now hopefully, we’ll build into next week.”
Vítor Pereira’s team stretched its unbeaten run to nine games in all competitions. Forest visits Chelsea in the Premier League on Monday before the semifinal second leg in Birmingham next Thursday.
Forest is in a relegation fight — currently five points above the Premier League drop zone. The winner of the Europa League title earns a spot in next season’s Champions League. That could create a scenario in which Forest gets relegated to England’s second division but also plays in Europe’s top club competition.
Forest has returned to Europe after 30 years to reach its fourth semifinal, but first since the 1984 UEFA Cup. That was after Forest dominated the European Cup — the predecessor of the Champions League — and won the trophy in 1979 and 1980. Villa became the European champion two years later.
Villa sits fifth in the Premier League and stands a good chance of qualifying for the Champions League domestically.
Villa coach Unai Emery has won the Europa League title four times — thrice with Sevilla and once with Villarreal.
In the other semifinal, Braga beat Freiburg 2-1 after substitute Mario Dorgeles netted the winner in second-half stoppage time in Portugal.
At 1-1, Freiburg goalkeeper Noah Atubolu denied Braga a golden opportunity to restore a lead by diving to his right to save a spot kick by Rodrigo Zalazar.
The Portuguese side hopes to advance to the final again after it lost to domestic rival Porto 1-0 in the 2011 title match.
The second legs are next Thursday and the final is in Istanbul on May 20.
In the third-tier Conference League, Ismaïla Sarr scored in the opening minute as Crystal Palace beat Shakhtar Donetsk 3-1 in the opening leg of their semifinal.
Daichi Kamada and Jorgen Strand Larsen also scored for Palace after Oleh Ocheretko had equalized for Shakhtar.
The game was played in Krakow, Poland, because of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The second leg is next Thursday in London.
Rayo Vallecano beat Strasbourg 1-0 in the Thursday’s other semifinal.
The final is on May 27 in Leipzig, Germany.
Published on May 01, 2026
Chris Wood scored from the penalty spot to give Nottingham Forest a 1-0 victory over…
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#GibbsWhite #hattrick #inspires #Nottingham #Forest #comeback #win #Burnley #moves #side #clear #relegation #zone">Gibbs-White hat-trick inspires Nottingham Forest comeback win over Burnley, moves side clear of relegation zone
Morgan Gibbs-White scored a 15-minute hat-trick as Nottingham Forest came from a goal down to beat Burnley 4-1 and move five points clear of the Premier League relegation zone on Sunday.
Forest, which began the day two points above 18th-placed Tottenham Hotspur, trailed to Zian Flemming’s goal in stoppage time at the end of a poor first half.
The host appeared flat after the exertions of reaching the Europa League semi-finals in midweek, but Gibbs-White seized the moment to inspire the side to a vital win.
He equalised just past the hour mark with a neat finish and put Forest ahead seven minutes later with a powerful volley past Martin Dubravka.
Gibbs-White then met a Ryan Yates cross with a header in the 77th minute to complete his first senior hat-trick.
ALSO READ: Van Dijk scores late goal for Liverpool in 2-1 derby win over Everton
“Every game from now until the end of the season is going to be so important for us,” Gibbs-White said. “Every game is a final. We will give everything from now until the end of the season. This is a massive step towards survival.”
Igor Jesus completed the comeback in the eighth minute of stoppage time with a composed finish after running on to a through ball from Nicolas Dominguez.
Victory took 16th-placed Forest to 36 points from 33 matches, while West Ham United, one place above the drop zone, has 32 points ahead of its clash with Crystal Palace on Monday. Tottenham has 31 points from 33 matches.
Burnley remains on 20 points from 33 matches, with relegation to the Championship all but sealed.
Published on Apr 19, 2026
Morgan Gibbs-White scored a 15-minute hat-trick as Nottingham Forest came from a goal down to beat Burnley 4-1 and move five points clear of the Premier League relegation zone on Sunday.
Forest, which began the day two points above 18th-placed Tottenham Hotspur, trailed to Zian Flemming’s goal in stoppage time at the end of a poor first half.
The host appeared flat after the exertions of reaching the Europa League semi-finals in midweek, but Gibbs-White seized the moment to inspire the side to a vital win.
He equalised just past the hour mark with a neat finish and put Forest ahead seven minutes later with a powerful volley past Martin Dubravka.
Gibbs-White then met a Ryan Yates cross with a header in the 77th minute to complete his first senior hat-trick.
ALSO READ: Van Dijk scores late goal for Liverpool in 2-1 derby win over Everton
“Every game from now until the end of the season is going to be so important for us,” Gibbs-White said. “Every game is a final. We will give everything from now until the end of the season. This is a massive step towards survival.”
Igor Jesus completed the comeback in the eighth minute of stoppage time with a composed finish after running on to a through ball from Nicolas Dominguez.
Victory took 16th-placed Forest to 36 points from 33 matches, while West Ham United, one place above the drop zone, has 32 points ahead of its clash with Crystal Palace on Monday. Tottenham has 31 points from 33 matches.
Burnley remains on 20 points from 33 matches, with relegation to the Championship all but sealed.
Published on Apr 19, 2026
Morgan Gibbs-White scored a 15-minute hat-trick as Nottingham Forest came from a goal down to…
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#Aston #Villa #sets #allEnglish #Europa #League #semifinal #Nottingham #Forest">Aston Villa sets up all-English Europa League semifinal against Nottingham Forest
Ollie Watkins scored again as Aston Villa knocked out Bologna out of the Europa League in a 4-0 rout on Thursday to set up an all-English semifinal against Nottingham Forest.
Unai Emery’s team reached its second European semifinal in three seasons with a 7-1 aggregate victory.
Watkins had netted twice in last week’s 3-1 win in the first leg of the quarterfinal in Italy, and the striker set the pace at Villa Park.
He tapped in a low cross from the left provided by Morgan Rogers for a 1-0 lead after 16 minutes for his 100th goal for Villa.
Rogers had a golden opportunity to increase the lead but Bologna goalkeeper Federico Ravaglia saved his penalty kick.
Only a minute later, though, Villa doubled its lead when Emiliano Buendía scored from a tight angle.
READ | Watkins strikes twice for Aston Villa in 3-1 win at Bologna
Rogers made it 3-0 with another angled shot in the 39th, and Ezri Konsa finished the scoring seconds before the final whistle.
Villa reached the Champions League quarterfinals last season and is on course to secure a spot in the lucrative top-tier competition next campaign while sitting fourth in the Premier League.
Forest made the semifinals by beating 10-man Porto 1-0 in what’s been a successful return to European competition after a 30-year absence. It advanced 2-1 on aggregate after last week’s draw in Portugal.
Morgan Gibbs-White put the hosts ahead in the 12th minute with a deflected effort from outside the box after Porto defender Jan Bednarek was sent off for fouling Chris Wood, who then had to be substituted with a knee injury.
Wood is a key striker for relegation-threatened Nottingham — and New Zealand’s World Cup plans — and only recently returned from a long-term knee injury.
Porto has never beaten a Premier League club in England in 24 attempts.
The last time Nottingham reached a European semifinal was in 1984 in the UEFA Cup.
Freiburg marched into the semifinals by beating Celta Vigo 3-1.
The Bundesliga team reached the last four in a European competition for the first time on a 6-1 aggregate score after last week’s 3-0 victory in the first leg of the quarterfinal.
Freiburg has scored 11 goals in its last three games in the second-tier competition.
Igor Matanović put Freiburg 1-0 up with a stunning left-footed volley from outside the area. Yuito Suzuki doubled the advantage with a deflected shot late in the first half and then beat goalkeeper Ionut Radu after interval.
Williot Swedberg’s consolation goal came in stoppage time for the Spanish hosts.
Freiburg’s next opponent will be Braga, which came from two goals down to win 4-2 at Real Betis after those teams were tied 1-1 from the first leg.
Crystal Palace clinched a last-four spot in the third-tier Conference League despite a 2-1 loss to Fiorentina in Florence.
Palace advanced 4-2 on aggregate after a 3-0 home win in the first leg to meet Ukraine’s Shakhtar, which advanced past AZ Alkmaar on Thursday.
Strasbourg and Rayo Vallecano also advanced.
Italy’s football crisis only worsened with European exits for Bologna and Fiorentina.
As a result, Italy doesn’t have any club in a European semifinal for the first time in seven years.
That came after after Atalanta — the only Italian club to reach the Champions League round of 16 — was eliminated in a whopping 10-2 aggregate loss to Bayern Munich.
Published on Apr 17, 2026
Ollie Watkins scored again as Aston Villa knocked out Bologna out of the Europa League in a 4-0 rout on Thursday to set up an all-English semifinal against Nottingham Forest.
Unai Emery’s team reached its second European semifinal in three seasons with a 7-1 aggregate victory.
Watkins had netted twice in last week’s 3-1 win in the first leg of the quarterfinal in Italy, and the striker set the pace at Villa Park.
He tapped in a low cross from the left provided by Morgan Rogers for a 1-0 lead after 16 minutes for his 100th goal for Villa.
Rogers had a golden opportunity to increase the lead but Bologna goalkeeper Federico Ravaglia saved his penalty kick.
Only a minute later, though, Villa doubled its lead when Emiliano Buendía scored from a tight angle.
READ | Watkins strikes twice for Aston Villa in 3-1 win at Bologna
Rogers made it 3-0 with another angled shot in the 39th, and Ezri Konsa finished the scoring seconds before the final whistle.
Villa reached the Champions League quarterfinals last season and is on course to secure a spot in the lucrative top-tier competition next campaign while sitting fourth in the Premier League.
Forest made the semifinals by beating 10-man Porto 1-0 in what’s been a successful return to European competition after a 30-year absence. It advanced 2-1 on aggregate after last week’s draw in Portugal.
Morgan Gibbs-White put the hosts ahead in the 12th minute with a deflected effort from outside the box after Porto defender Jan Bednarek was sent off for fouling Chris Wood, who then had to be substituted with a knee injury.
Wood is a key striker for relegation-threatened Nottingham — and New Zealand’s World Cup plans — and only recently returned from a long-term knee injury.
Porto has never beaten a Premier League club in England in 24 attempts.
The last time Nottingham reached a European semifinal was in 1984 in the UEFA Cup.
Freiburg marched into the semifinals by beating Celta Vigo 3-1.
The Bundesliga team reached the last four in a European competition for the first time on a 6-1 aggregate score after last week’s 3-0 victory in the first leg of the quarterfinal.
Freiburg has scored 11 goals in its last three games in the second-tier competition.
Igor Matanović put Freiburg 1-0 up with a stunning left-footed volley from outside the area. Yuito Suzuki doubled the advantage with a deflected shot late in the first half and then beat goalkeeper Ionut Radu after interval.
Williot Swedberg’s consolation goal came in stoppage time for the Spanish hosts.
Freiburg’s next opponent will be Braga, which came from two goals down to win 4-2 at Real Betis after those teams were tied 1-1 from the first leg.
Crystal Palace clinched a last-four spot in the third-tier Conference League despite a 2-1 loss to Fiorentina in Florence.
Palace advanced 4-2 on aggregate after a 3-0 home win in the first leg to meet Ukraine’s Shakhtar, which advanced past AZ Alkmaar on Thursday.
Strasbourg and Rayo Vallecano also advanced.
Italy’s football crisis only worsened with European exits for Bologna and Fiorentina.
As a result, Italy doesn’t have any club in a European semifinal for the first time in seven years.
That came after after Atalanta — the only Italian club to reach the Champions League round of 16 — was eliminated in a whopping 10-2 aggregate loss to Bayern Munich.
Published on Apr 17, 2026
Ollie Watkins scored again as Aston Villa knocked out Bologna out of the Europa League…