Nottingham Forest Eliminate Midtjylland to Return to Europa League Quarter-Finals

Written by Pavel Kateliev

Pavel Kateliev is a popular sport journalist, particularly in the fields of football, basketball, tennis, and hockey. He writes daily for Sportingpedia and his work has been translated into at least 20 languages and featured on renowned outlets such as BBC, Yahoo, MCN, Sun, and Evening News, in Italian, English, Spanish, and Portuguese.

, | Updated: March 20, 2026

Nottingham and Midtjylland players in a battle for the ball

Key Takeaways:

Nottingham Forest ended Midtjylland’s six-match European home winning streak with a 2-1 victory inside 90 minutes
Ryan Yates struck a spectacular goal, while Nicolas Dominguez netted to level the aggregate before the tie went to penalties
Forest converted all three of their spot-kicks, sealing their first European quarter-final appearance in 30 years after a tense shootout

Rotated Forest Line-Up Shows Early Purpose

Facing a critical Premier League relegation clash against Tottenham this coming weekend, Nottingham Forest manager Vítor Pereira opted for significant rotation, making eight changes to his starting eleven. Despite these alterations and the one-goal disadvantage from the first leg, Forest’s reshuffled line-up looked intent on overturning the deficit from the outset. Dilane Bakwa demonstrated the visitors’ intent early, sending a drive just over from the edge of the area. Moments later, Bakwa’s corner forced Pedro Bravo to inadvertently threaten his own goal, but Elias Olafsson reacted smartly to keep the ball out.

Bakwa continued to be the creative spark for Forest, nearly breaking the deadlock before half-time after clever play with Lorenzo Lucca, while Lucca himself volleyed over from close range following Nikola Milenkovic’s assist. The breakthrough arrived shortly after, as Milenkovic kept a cross alive, allowing Nicolas Dominguez to expertly guide a header beyond Olafsson and restore parity across the tie.

Forest Gain the Lead But Erlic Responds for Midtjylland

The momentum remained with Forest after the interval, and within 10 minutes, Ryan Yates produced a thunderous strike from 25 yards out to put the visitors ahead for the first time in the tie. Despite visible frustration from Midtjylland manager Mike Tullberg on the sidelines, his side found a lifeline with just over 20 minutes remaining. A fortuitous bounce presented Martin Erlic with a chance, and he dispatched a left-footed volley into the top left corner, bringing the aggregate level once again.

Opportunities followed for both teams during a frantic finale to normal time: Cho Gue-sung went close for the hosts, whilst Elliot Anderson forced Olafsson into an impressive save for Forest. Extra time ensued, and Forest thought they had found the decisive winner twice, with Lucca and Yates having goals disallowed for offside in either half of the additional thirty minutes.

Penalty Shootout Decides Quarter-Final Berth

After 210 minutes of fierce competition, progression was determined by a penalty shootout in front of the home faithful. Midtjylland faltered immediately, missing their opening two penalties courtesy of Cho and Aral Simsir. Edward Chilufya slipped during his attempt, missing Midtjylland’s third penalty. Forest, in contrast, converted all three of their spot-kicks, securing a dramatic passage to their first UEFA Europa League quarter-final in three decades.