Sean Dyche marked his debut as Nottingham Forest manager with a victorious 2-0 win over Porto in the Europa League, courtesy of two penalty kicks. Meanwhile, Aston Villa suffered a surprising 2-1 defeat to Go Ahead Eagles on Thursday.
Nottingham Forest, who axed Ange Postecoglou after a brief tenure of 40 days and eight matches, had endured a winless streak of 10 games since the start of the Premier League season. Dyche, a former player for the two-time European champions, made an immediate impact, though Forest benefited from VAR decisions to overcome the Portuguese powerhouse.
Morgan Gibbs-White converted a penalty in the 19th minute after Jan Bednarek was penalized for a handball. Bednarek thought he had equalized early in the second half, but the goal was disallowed after a VAR review for offside. Another penalty was awarded to Forest, which Igor Jesus successfully converted for his first goal at the City Ground.
On the other hand, Villa manager Unai Emery admitted his team learned a tough lesson in European football after their unexpected defeat to Go Ahead Eagles. Despite a strong start with Evann Guessand scoring Villa’s opener, the Dutch side secured a historic victory in their first-ever group stage appearance.
Emery reflected on the challenges of playing away in Europe and conceded that football offers various outcomes. The defeat left Villa contemplating their approach in future European fixtures.
Elsewhere, Rangers suffered a disappointing 3-0 loss to Brann in Norway, denting their hopes of advancing in the Europa League. Celtic, however, recovered from a deficit to secure their first European win of the season against Sturm Graz. Danish outfit Midtjylland claimed a 3-0 victory over Maccabi Tel-Aviv, while Lyon and Braga maintained their perfect records with wins over Basel and Red Star Belgrade, respectively.
Other notable results included Bologna’s 2-1 triumph against Steaua Bucharest, Fenerbahce’s 1-0 victory over Stuttgart, and Real Betis being held to a goalless draw by Genk.