Sean Dyche made an impressive start as Nottingham Forest manager with a 2-0 victory over Porto in the Europa League. The win ended Forest’s 10-match winless streak and marked a strong beginning for Dyche, who took charge after Ange Postecoglou’s dismissal.
Forest earned both goals from the penalty spot, with Morgan Gibbs-White converting the first in the 19th minute after Jan Bednarek handled the ball inside the box. Gibbs-White expressed relief after the match, noting that the team had endured a difficult run and credited Dyche for instilling belief and confidence.
Porto thought they had equalised early in the second half when Bednarek found the net, but the goal was ruled out for offside following a VAR review. VAR again played a decisive role later in the game when Nicolo Savona was initially booked for diving, only for the decision to be overturned and a second penalty awarded to Forest. Igor Jesus stepped up to score his first goal for the club, sealing the win.
Meanwhile, Aston Villa’s strong Europa League start came to an abrupt halt after a surprising 2-1 loss to Dutch side Go Ahead Eagles. Villa took the lead through Evann Guessand, but Mathis Suray’s deflected strike and Mats Deijl’s chip turned the game around in favour of the hosts. Emiliano Buendia missed a late penalty, denying Villa a chance to level.
Unai Emery admitted his side were taught a harsh lesson about the challenges of European football, emphasizing that even dominant teams can lose if they fail to capitalize on their chances.
Elsewhere, Rangers suffered a disappointing 3-0 defeat to Brann in Norway, leaving them bottom of their group after three losses. Celtic restored some Scottish pride with a 2-1 comeback win against Sturm Graz, courtesy of goals from Liam Scales and Benjamin Nygren.
In other results, Lyon defeated Basel 2-0, Braga beat Red Star Belgrade by the same margin, and Bologna edged Steaua Bucharest 2-1. Fenerbahce overcame Stuttgart 1-0, while Real Betis were held 0-0 by Genk.
