Two training sessions, three days on the job, and—above all—one triumph. To get Nottingham Forest’s Europa League campaign really underway, Sean Dyche won at the first attempt, succeeding where Ange Postecoglou had failed so terribly. As they handed Porto their first loss of the season, the home crowd cheered Dyche’s name and sung, “Forest are back.”
Even more amazing is the fact that this was Forest’s first clean sheet since April. Evangelos Marinakis, who was last seen running from the stadium halfway through Postecoglou’s farewell game and was back in his position in the directors’ box, must have had a very rewarding overall experience. Both of Forest’s goals came from interventions, with Morgan Gibbs-White and Igor Jesus scoring penalties in each half, proving that even the VAR gods were on Dyche’s side.
Regarding the fans in the Main Stand who typically remain standing during games, Dyche remarked, “If they back you, that’s always a good thing.” Dyche, who started his career here as an apprentice under Brian Clough—after whom the area across from the dugouts is named—sees this as a role that, in his words, completes the circle. Dyche’s longtime assistants Ian Woan and Steve Stone were on the field when Forest last triumphed in a European competition, against Lyon in the Uefa Cup in November 1995. There was a new sense of hope in the stadium just before kickoff as Forest’s well-known pre-game performance of Mull of Kintyre played.
The spot-kick was awarded after Porto center-back Jan Bednarek, formerly of Southampton, was penalized for handling a cross towards Igor Jesus, one of three changes from Postecoglou’s final game in charge. Dyche, wearing a blue club tracksuit, cut an animated figure on the touchline but was unmoved when Forest took the lead through Gibbs-White, save for a quick look at the watch. After taking a few big breaths, Gibbs-White sent Diogo Costa, the penalty expert in the Porto goal wearing number 99, in the wrong direction.
Locals enjoyed the start of a new era while Marinakis cheered from the stands. Morato and Ibrahim Sangaré were dropped to the bench, while Dan Ndoye and Callum Hudson-Odoi were both elevated to the starting lineup. In addition to Chris Wood and Dilane Bakwa missing due to injury, Taiwo Awoniyi, who was a surprise starter against Chelsea, was completely absent.
Forest’s penalty was the first time this season that Porto, who had been undefeated before coming to the City Ground, had fallen behind. With all of the outfield players save for center-back Jakub Kiwior lining up on halfway for kickoff, Francesco Farioli’s team exuded confidence from the very first whistle. With Gibbs-White chasing the ball and Elliot Anderson charging over within a minute, Forest also got off to a strong start. Perceived as Mr. Pragmatic, Dyche gestured his players ahead.
After a brief corner, Matz Sels was called upon to stop an Alan Varela strike, but Dyche had to be satisfied as he left the field at halftime. A free-scoring Porto team that had only given up twice this season was mostly restrained by Forest. The only significant letdown was Oleksandr Zinchenko’s early exit due to a groin issue just before halftime, with Nicolò Savona taking his place. Forest honored Harley Pearce, the son of former captain and club icon Stuart, who lost his life in a Gloucestershire tractor accident last week, during the break.
Only West Ham has given up more goals from Forest’s set pieces in the Premier League lately. Six minutes into the second half, Porto appeared to have equalized after another short corner, but Samu Aghehowa was flagged offside by the video assistant referee. After Sels stopped Aghehowa and then made a save from Kiwior, Bednarek tucked home from the edge of the six-yard box.
William Gomes, a teenager from Brazil, was one of the three substitutes Porto was preparing at the time and would be added a few minutes later. Sels was forced to make an awkward save from his inswinging corner by Gabriel Veiga, another substitute.
Porto tried to tie the score, but the home team extended their lead just as they were starting to worry Forest. When Romanian referee Radu Petrescu went to the VAR monitor for a second opinion, he reversed Savona’s initial booking for diving under pressure from Martim Fernandes. Gibbs-White presented the honors to Igor Jesus. With the exception of Sels, every Forest player joined in the festivities. The atmosphere in these sections has abruptly changed.
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