Europa League – An own goal by Matim leads Porto to a 1-1 draw at home against Nottingham Forest.

In the first leg of the 2025/26 UEFA Europa League quarter-final, Porto hosted Nottingham Forest. After 90 minutes of intense play, the final score was 1-1.

Porto took the initiative early, threatening Nottingham Forest within just 40 seconds: Secco Fofana crossed from the right wing into the box, where an unmarked Treme Morfe's low shot was brilliantly saved by Stefan Ortega. Borja Sainz followed up with a shot towards the bottom right corner, which Ortega also caught. In the 7th minute, Gabriel Berga delivered a clever backheel pass inside the box, but Sainz's shot was again comfortably saved by Ortega. In the 11th minute, Berga delivered a cross from the left side of the box, and Willian Gomez finished with a powerful shot to open the scoring.

However, Porto's lead lasted only about two minutes. In the 13th minute, Matim Fernandez attempted a long-range back pass to goalkeeper Diogo Costa in his own half, but instead sent the ball directly into his own net. Nottingham Forest also benefited from an own goal, leveling the score at 1-1 before halftime.

After the break, both sides launched a fierce attacking offensive. In the 49th minute, Fofana delivered a through ball from midfield, and Gomez cut inside from the right wing into the penalty area before unleashing a low shot that went just wide. In the 58th minute, James McCarty received the ball in the attacking third and unleashed a sudden shot, which was brilliantly saved by Costa. In the 63rd minute, Igor Jesus scored after colliding with Costa, but VAR ruled that he had committed a handball foul beforehand.

After that, Porto regained control of the game. In the 68th minute, Deniz Gül delivered a diagonal pass from the attacking third, and Gomez's powerful shot inside the penalty area was saved by Ortega. In the 79th minute, Pepe played a through ball from the edge of the penalty area, and Victor Froholt's shot towards the far corner went wide to the right. In the 85th minute, Pablo Rosario passed the ball back inside the penalty area, and Allan Barella's follow-up shot was collected by Ortega.

In the fifth minute of second-half stoppage time, Barella took a free kick from the right side of the field, sending in a cross. Thiago Silva's header inside the penalty area was easily saved by Ortega. The match ended in a 1-1 draw.

Image source: Internet/Sky Sports UK