Pereira Praises Nottingham Forest Players For Expressive Performance In Fenerbahce Rout

Add as a preferred source on Google

Nottingham Forest took a major step towards the Europa League last 16 as Vitor Pereira’s first match in charge brought a 3-0 victory over Fenerbahce in Istanbul, with Murillo, Igor Jesus and Morgan Gibbs-White scoring in a dominant away display that gave Forest their biggest European away win and control of this knockout tie.

The result also ended a long wait for Nottingham Forest in Europe, marking their first win in a continental knockout tie since a 1-0 success over Lyon in the UEFA Cup in 1995, while Pereira kept a personal record intact by extending a run of never losing an opening match with a new club to 11 wins and four draws.

Pereira replaced Sean Dyche earlier in February and immediately asked Nottingham Forest’s squad to play with freedom, later telling TNT Sports: "The quality of the players. I asked them to express themselves on the pitch, and they did it. We had chances to score two more goals. It was a very good result."

Pereira also warned that the job is far from finished, stressing the demands of the schedule as Forest balance Europa League and domestic duties, adding: "It is only half-time, we need to be consistent, the schedule is tight and difficult. Everyone must be ready to help the team. This is what I ask of them."

Forest now switch attention back to the Premier League, where they sit three points above the relegation zone, knowing that Liverpool visit the City Ground on Sunday in a key fixture, and when asked by TNT Sports about survival hopes, Pereira replied: "Of course I am. We will try to win the next match. It will be very difficult."

Pereira praised his players’ potential and mentality, explaining how performances and enjoyment must go together for Nottingham Forest to progress, saying: "It is not easy to come here and score three goals and not concede. Next game will be a different game, and we need to be consistent. I realised before I came that the players have a lot of quality."

Looking at Forest’s development, Pereira continued outlining what he expects from this squad: "They need results but they need to enjoy the games. If they enjoy the way they are playing, they can reach a high level. They just need organisation and confidence."

Key numbers from this Europa League night underlined the control Nottingham Forest enjoyed over Fenerbahce, with the visitors recording 23 shots and 2.87 expected goals compared to only six attempts and 0.48 xG for the hosts, while three different scorers reflected the attacking spread Pereira wants from the team.

Fenerbahce head coach Domenico Tedesco accepted that his side had struggled badly against Nottingham Forest, reflecting on both the scoreline and the performance, and told TNT Sports: "If you lose 3-0, many things clearly didn’t work and many things worked for Forest. We lost our confidence and the first half was difficult for us."

Tedesco highlighted Nottingham Forest’s organisation and athletic edge as decisive factors in this Europa League contest, adding: "First of all, we played against a well-organised team. We played against good players. When you see the physicality and the players they had, it was hard for us. They have good players, good decision makers on the pitch. We suffered a lot today. It was deserved."

This 3-0 triumph gives Nottingham Forest a strong platform before the second leg of the Europa League tie and offers confidence before facing Liverpool, while Pereira’s unbeaten first-match record, stretching to 15 clubs, adds another detail to a night when Forest combined organisation, expression and clinical finishing against Fenerbahce.