Forest's Freakish Fortune Keeps European Dream Alive Against Villa

The path to an all-English Europa League semi-final remains tantalizingly uncertain after Thursday's quarter-final first legs, with Nottingham Forest clinging to their hopes courtesy of one of the season's most peculiar moments of misfortune.

Forest had previously dispatched Porto via penalties in the league phase, yet found themselves on the back foot when the sides reconvened. William Gomes punished early sloppiness to put the Portuguese side ahead, and it looked as though the visitors might face an uphill battle in the return fixture.

The hosts had already been tested inside the opening minute, with Stefan Ortega called upon to deny Terem Moffi. But what followed defied logic. Martim Fernandes, attempting a simple pass back from the halfway line, watched in bewilderment as his ball sailed directly into the net, with goalkeeper Diogo Costa stranded well off his line and unable to scramble back in time.

Forest shuffled their pack at the interval, introducing Nikola Milenkovic and Igor Jesus to freshen things up. The latter thought he'd seized the lead midway through the second half, only for VAR to intervene and chalk off his effort. A Pepe backheel nearly released Victor Froholdt for Porto, but his effort curled wide of the upright. The tie finished level at 1-1, leaving everything to play for in the return.

Villa's evening proved considerably more straightforward. Bologna provided spirited resistance, yet the Midlands outfit's superior quality ultimately told. An early scare saw Ezri Konsa inadvertently deflect the ball over the line, but VAR came to Villa's rescue when Santiago Castro was ruled marginally offside in the buildup.

The momentum swung Villa's way before half-time when a corner found its way through Bologna's substitute keeper Federico Ravaglia's hands and onto Konsa's head. Ollie Watkins compounded matters early in the second half, capitalizing on Bologna's reckless possession play to make it 2-0.

Jonathan Rowe salvaged a late goal for the hosts with a curling finish from the left flank, but Watkins restored Villa's two-goal cushion in stoppage time. With the second leg to come at Villa Park, Unai Emery's side sit in the driving seat.

In the Conference League, Crystal Palace made short work of Fiorentina. Jean-Philippe Mateta opened the scoring from the penalty spot, sending David de Gea the wrong way, before Tyrick Mitchell doubled the advantage. Ismaila Sarr sealed a commanding display with a header from a Daichi Kamada cross in the final minute, though Daniel Munoz couldn't add a fourth from a late opportunity.

Palace carry a three-goal buffer to Italy, putting them firmly on course for the last four. Following West Ham's triumph in 2023 and Chelsea's success last season, another English winner in this competition looks increasingly plausible. Shakhtar Donetsk's 3-0 demolition of AZ suggests they too are likely semi-final material.