First Leg Second Best

Nottingham Forest 0-1 Midtjylland (UEFA Europa League Round of 16)

I really wanted to attend more of Nottingham Forest’s Europa League matches this season but at £60 a ticket I’ve been priced out of watching the club I’ve supported for well over 40 years.

It’s not just me either? This week, the club came under scrutiny from fans who weren’t prepared to be ripped off, with thousands of unsold tickets ahead of the Reds second home match with Midtjylland this season, they eventually succumbed, and dropped their prices, I ended up paying £35 for my seat, whilst they gave hundreds away to schools for free, at least they listened, but there are lessons, still to be learned. Don’t bite the hand that feeds you.

What is supposed to be a season of celebration, Forest’s first in Europe for nearly 30 years, is one that has been exasperating for fans, four managers, in fact they have had more managers than their strikers have scored Premier League goals, recruitment has been awful, outgoing Sporting Director Edu largely to blame, the side a pittance of what they were under Nuno last season, 17th in the Premier League currently, they have already been beaten by Midtjylland when under Ange Postecoglu and a lot of fans would rather see them beaten again tonight, in order to focus on survival ahead of domestic matches with Fulham and Spurs upcoming.

The Danes maybe small in name but are big in nature, they have a team of giants and have been a powerhouse in the Superliga since first winning it in 2015, four Danish titles in ten years, six times runners up and twice Danish Cup winners, they have been making a name in Europe having also appeared in the Champions League but are hoping to go further than they ever have before by reaching the Europa League quarter finals stage. Forest last achieving that status in the equivalent UEFA Cup in their previous nearest season in Europe back in 1996/97.

I’m actually off to Denmark next week, for the second leg, which is why I wanted to do some unpaid scouting tonight, as well as support my team, scarf wrapped around my neck, it’s a last minute decision (helped by the reasonable(ish) last minute ticket pricing) but I decide to nip down the road and sit on my own in the dark, wind, and rain to cheer on the boys.

The Venue

I’ve a five minute drive to the bottom of Melton Road where I pull up outside George’s Chip shop, It’s a good 45/50 minute walk from my house is the City Ground but slightly longer on the way back, up the hill towards Edwalton, that’s why I’ve driven half way to ease commute, and walk twenty minutes or so down the Musters Road, across the back of Trent Bridge Cricket Ground and over Radcliffe Road into the Main Stand car park, it’s wet, drizzling, very windy today, not the nicest of nights, perhaps a bit of a game wrecker, but at least I’m covered up, sitting nice and centrally, back of the Peter Taylor.

Inside I grab a cup of tea and a snickers duo, I’m an hour early but sit down in the seat on row M, high up with a great view but for a post to my right, well covered here as I check the odds on my phone for Cheltenham tomorrow, the rain in the distance lit up by the floodlights which are out of view because of the low roof, you can see the bottom tiers of the Trent End, Clough Stand and Bridgford End but not much above, as the players come out to warm applause to do their warm ups, the ground slowly filling to full capacity ahead of kick off, the Danish fans, a couple of hundred of them, all seemingly dressed in black, making some noise as their ‘leader’ repeatedly bangs a drum.

The Game

Despite the fans packing in the atmosphere feels flat tonight, I wonder if the clubs shambolic ticketing strategy in the run up has in fact dented that bit of pride in those that are here, not much singing as the two teams come out, a few decibels rise as the pre-match anthem gets into gear but I’m wondering is anyone here actually bothered about the outcome of this game? Do we want it ahead of pressing matters in the league, enough?

And that seems to transcribe onto the pitch as Forest’s start is flat, they don’t particularly press, and aren’t very high in tempo, Midtjylland are well drilled, they do the ugly stuff well, but they slow the game down, make it a scrap, they aren’t scared of leaving out an elbow, or giving ones shirt a tug.

I respect it, they look more of a ‘team’ than Forest who are playing centre half Morato at left back, he’s awful, lacking confidence and competence in possession, he lets the ball bounce which is criminal for a defender, he’s looking a liability and then to top it gets booked, already worsened by Forest losing another defender in Jair Cunha after nine minutes through injury.

The Reds do however look to have more technical ability and talent than their opponents, Elliot Anderson is buzzing around effortlessly as is Morgan Gibbs-White, on the break Omari Hutchinson shows signs of direct pace, he tests the goalkeeper with a decent long range effort, before Aina does, then Anderson, there’s been chances, but well contained by keeper Olafsson and his defence.

Midtjylland have a couple of sniffs, their danger is aerially which Forest know all about as the Danes scored a couple from set plays when they beat the Reds 3-2 here earlier in the campaign, and they might have taken an early lead after Morato’s error lead to Billing crossing to Junior Brumado who should have done better with a header that was eventually cleared by Murillo.

They have real size and stature, Erlic and Diao offer Igor Jesus little time on the ball as big no-nonsense centre backs, Castillo and Bravo are solid along with Philip Billing pulling strings in midfield, Brumado up top has size, Simsir on the left side of attack is a little tubby fella, but he whips a real good ball in to the danger zone.

The Score

At half time it’s nil nil and you sense the way the game is played it feels like both teams would take this going into the second leg in Denmark, but Forest come out in the second half with a surge of upbeat positive play, Neco Williams has by now replaced Morato at left back and he combines with Hudson-Odoi to pull back to Anderson who fizzes another long range effort wide, but a whopping surge of rain fall hits hard as the heavens open to shower down, I’ve never seen water like it Trentside, you start to wonder if the game will even complete.

That downfall stops any momentum Forest have as the ball slows on the sopping pitch, their Brazilian striker is certainly not feeling it, and it’s the Danes who come forward, Byskov tests Sels from range, why not, the shot skidding along the surface saved but with panic as the big Belgian goalkeeper gets down and pushes around his posts, the following corner falls to the same player, this time Byskov crashes against the crossbar from the edge of the area.

As the rain eases off, Anderson should do better when he cuts inside the opposition area to shoot straight at the keeper, but a killer blow for Forest at the other end, with ten minutes remaining a hopeful ball pumped into the box by Diao, has Aina is napping, Cho nips in, he heads down to a silence around the ground, the Midtjylland players are celebrating in front of the technical area, it's another huge scalp beside the Trent.

The Stars

I think Nottingham Forest have no more than nine really good footballers, a few not so good ones, and the rest are probably not good enough, in Murillo and Milenkovic they have the foundations of a good solid base, in Neco Williams they have an excellent full back who’s playing well, in Ola Aina they have an excellent full back, who’s playing badly, since injury without confidence, he looks like he needs an arm around his shoulder.

Whilst Elliot Anderson and Morgan Gibbs-White are head and shoulders the clubs best two players, I feel they offer a more solid base when Sangare is in the team, and whilst Nico Dominguez runs around a lot, the goal threat is minimal, Igor Jesus had a bad night, but he’s been asked to do a lot, alone, this season.

For Midtjylland I heard one fan say after “why have we never gone in for Philip Billing” as he’s a player who always does well against Forest, a big unit who is a better footballer than given credit for, he was useful in both boxes and a constant irritant in the centre of the park snapping at Anderson and Gibbs-White.

Mike Tullberg’s side look a well drilled set up, defensively I really like Ousmane Diao, just 21 years old, next to a big Croatian Martin Elic, whilst their skipper, a left sided defender Mads Bech Sorensen is gutsy, Swiss international Kevin Mbabu offers good athleticism down their right, Castillo and Bravo good legs in midfield, whilst both Byskov and Cho did well when they came on.

The Verdict

I still don’t think the tie is over, no Premier League side has ever beaten Midtjylland in Herning, so Forest will have to do something special to change that fact, but as they did against Fenerbahçe, they are well capable of doing something special, just not on a consistent basis.

I personally fear that Forest are not too good to go down, and they have important league matches that might take priority next, but I wonder if they have the confidence and goal threat to beat Premier League opponents, they certainly however, should be beating inferior Danish opposition.

Midtjylland do have something though, inner belief, power, height advantage, a good blend of squad, probably down to good recruitment and good coaching, something which is most certainly an advantage over Forest right now.

The Teams

Nottingham Forest: Matz Sels, Jair Cunha (Nikola Milenkovic 9), Murillo, Morato (Neco Williams 46), Ola Aina (Dilane Bakwa 82), Elliot Anderson, Nico Dominguez (Ibrahim Sangare 69), Callum Hudson-Odoi, Omari Hutchinson, Morgan Gibbs-White, Igor Jesus (Lorenzo Lucca 69).

Midtjylland: Elias Olafsson, Ousmane Diao, Martin Erlic, Mads Bech Sorensen, Kevin Mbabu (Lee Han-Beom 59), Denil Castillo (Valdemar Byskov 46), Philip Billing, Pedro Bravo, Victor Bak, Junior Brumado (Cho Gue-Sung 57), Aral Simsir (Mikael Uhre 57).

8:00pm Kick Off. Thursday 12th March 2026, City Ground, Nottingham (att 29,502).