"Nottingham Forest took a huge step towards the last 16 of the Europa League after they defeated Fenerbahce 3-0 in the first leg of their play-off tie. Goals from Murillo, Igor Jesus and Morgan Gibbs-White secured a winning start to life as Forest boss for Vitor Pereira, who was even able to rest key players with plenty of time to go in Turkiye. Shortly after Mert Muldur headed over the target for Fenerbahce, Murillo opened the scoring in stunning fashion."
"The hosts saw a penalty appeal denied following a VAR check when the ball struck Murillo's arm, though it was by his side, and their misery grew before the break when Jesus headed in from a yard out after Gibbs-White flicked on a corner. The Brazilian striker then returned the favour five minutes into the second half, squaring the ball to Gibbs-White in the box, and the England international managed to sneak his shot through the legs of Ederson despite losing his balance."
"Data Debrief: Dream start for Pereira Pereira probably anticipated a bigger challenge from his former side, but Forest were dominant throughout. They produced 2.86 expected goals (xG) from 23 shots to Fenerbahce's 0.48 from six attempts. Jesus' seven goals in the Europa League this season are now the outright most by a Forest player in a campaign in major European competition, while he also has the most in the tournament in the 2025-26 campaign."
Nottingham Forest beat Fenerbahçe 3-0 in the first leg of their Europa League play-off, building a strong lead toward the last 16. Murillo opened the scoring with a long-range dribble and finish in the 21st minute. Igor Jesus added a close-range header after a Morgan Gibbs-White corner flick before Gibbs-White finished after a Murillo assist early in the second half. Fenerbahçe had a penalty appeal denied by VAR. Forest produced 2.86 expected goals from 23 shots compared with Fenerbahçe's 0.48 from six attempts, and Jesus has seven Europa League goals this season.
Read at Soccer News
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