- May 1, 2026
Europa League Semi-Final: Nottingham Forest Pip Aston Villa As Braga Have Edge Over Freiburg
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Nottingham Forest beat Aston Villa 1-0 in the UEFA Europa League semi-final first leg, while S.C. Braga edged SC Freiburg 2-1 with a stoppage time winner
Europa League: Nottingham Forest 1-0 Aston Villa and Braga 2-1 Freiburg (AP)
Nottingham Forest moved closer to a historic European final with a 1-0 victory over Aston Villa in the first leg of their UEFA Europa League semi-final.
Chris Wood was the match-winner, converting a second-half penalty after a costly handball by Lucas Digne at the City Ground.
Nottingham Forest 1-0 Aston Villa
The decisive moment came in the 71st minute when Digne raised his arm to block a cross that had been kept in play, triggering a VAR review and the award of a penalty. Wood calmly converted from the spot, scoring his fifth goal of an injury-hit season and giving Forest a narrow lead ahead of the return leg.
“It’s nice to have the advantage but going to Villa Park will be a tough game. They’re good at their place,” Wood said. “It’s small moments that can potentially change games. Thankfully it went in our favour tonight.”
Forest, now unbeaten in nine matches in all competitions under Vítor Pereira, have balanced their European run with a climb away from domestic relegation trouble. Reaching the final in Istanbul would be their first major continental showpiece since their golden era under Brian Clough.
Villa, led by Unai Emery, created early chances through Youri Tielemans and Ollie Watkins but failed to make the breakthrough. Despite late attacking substitutions, they could not break down a resolute Forest defence.
Braga 2-1 Freiburg
In the other semi-final, S.C. Braga claimed a dramatic 2-1 win over SC Freiburg. Goals from Demir Ege Tıknaz and Mario Dorgeles overturned an equaliser by Vincenzo Grifo, with the winner arriving in stoppage time.
“Even after we conceded, the team prevailed. We missed a penalty and still managed to win,” Braga coach Carlos Vicens said. “The team never stopped wanting to win… And we got the reward in the form of a 2-1 victory. In Germany, Freiburg will try to turn it around and we will have to be ready to give a good performance again.”
With both ties finely balanced, the race to reach Istanbul remains wide open, though Forest hold a crucial advantage going into the decisive second leg.
(With inputs from Agencies)
London, United Kingdom (UK)
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