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I enjoyed that, a real old-skool ding-dong with both sides hurling themselves into a physically draining contest. Forest were the better side tonight and held their nerve in the shoot-out, so fully deserve to be in the last eight – and from here, who knows?
Nottingham Forest are into the quarter-finals of the Europa League!
Where they’ll meet Porto or Stuttgart. What an effort from Vitor Pereira’s men!
MISS! Nottingham Forest 3-0 Midtjylland (Simsir)
Chilufya slips, sends the ball over the top, and Forest are into the quarter-finals!
GOAL! Nottingham Forest 3-0 Midtjylland (Williams)
Another gorgeous penalty, Williams opening his body to punch into the top-right! One more Midtjylland miss or Forest goal and it’s over!
POST! Nottingham Forest 2-0 Midtjylland (Simsir)
Oh my days! Simsir also picks out the left-hand post, a little higher up as Ortega goes the right way, and Forest are nearly there!
GOAL! Nottingham Forest 2-0 Midtjylland (Sangare)
A beautiful penalty, placed into the roof near the top right.
POST! Nottingham Forest 1-0 Midtjylland (Cho)
Cho sends Ortega right and goes left, only to hit the base of the post full in the face!
GOAL! Nottingham Forest 1-0 Midtjylland (Gibbs-White)
Lots of waving behind the keeper to ignore, but he digs out a pen that Olafsson, picking correctly, helps into the left side-netting. Dicey!
The penalties will be taken at the home end but Forest will go first, Gibbs-White holding the ball. The fear will be kicking in now…
Increasingly, I find myself backing the side with the more technically secure players in shoot-outs. For that reason, I fancy Forest but Olafsson looks really confident.
FULL TIME: Midtjylland (2) 1-2 (2) Nottingham Forest
Penalties it is. This is a massive stress for both sides, neither of whom a regular presences in European quarter-finals.
120+1 min Anderson into Lucca, who can’t quite force through for Gibbs-White, so Forest spread, Sangare finding Aina, whose left-footed cross drifts behind.
120 min We’ll have two additional minutes and Midtjylland win a throw, Bech to hurl in; Forest clear then, with bodies inside the box, Bravo shanks over the top.
119 min Yup, offside and no goal.
119 min VAR is looking and taking its time, but it looks pretty clear to me: as Anderson prepares to cross, Yates makes his move, and you can see he’s beyond.
118 min Sangare does well and finds Aina, who sweeps a long, crossfield pass out to Lucca. Williams then takes over and finds Anderson on the right, who swings over a cross and Yates is there, in front of his man, heading a banger inside the near post … but immediately, the flag goes up, and on replay, the onfield call looks the correct one.
117 min The home fans try to rouse their team, but penalties are imminent.
115 min Forest win a free-kick on the left touchline just inside the Midtjylland half, and Anderson floats a poor effort straight into the keeper’s gloves. Olafsson has played well tonight; I bet he fancies penalties.
114 min At Villa Park, it’s still 0-0 on the night, 1-0 Villa on aggregate; back in Denmark, Anderson is booked for something, no one seems to know what, and he’ll miss the first leg of any quarter-final Forest make.
112 min Murillo ploughs through Cho and the ref tries to let it go, but Midtjylland lose the ball so he pulls it back for a free-kick. In co-comms, Joe Hart kvels in how many tackles are being let go, then the ball comes in and Gabriel can’t get proper contact on his header.
111 min I’d thought Anderson, Sangare and Gibbs-White wold take control of this game as Midtjylland tired, but it’s not happened – they need a bit more tempo to their passing and to get a bit closer together, I think.
110 min Yates lofts one through for Lucca, Bech running across him … and doing just enough to make the ensuing tangle accidental.
108 min With no one near him, Yates pulls up and sits down. I think he’ll be alright to carry on, but in the meantime he’s at the side as Midtjylland have a free-kick following a Sangare foul; Forest get it away.
106 min A Williams throw finds Yates on the by-lie, but his attempted cross is blocked clear.
106 min We go again…
HALF-TIME IN EXTRA TIME: Midtjylland (2) 1-2 (2) Nottingham Forest
After the Forest goal disallowed for offside, not much happened, but we expected that, right? We persevere with extra time because the one in 30 that’s good is worth the other 29 that aren’t.
105 min We’ll have one additional minute. Neither set is settling for penalties, but does either have the quality to force a winner? Well, Cho fancies it, swivelling on to a bouncing ball and lashing a shot that Ortega shovels behind; the corner comes to nowt.
104 min Bravo runs at the Forest midfield but Sangare won’t give him any space, forcing the pass into touch.
103 min Another change for Midtjylland, Chilufya on for Osorio.
102 min Forest continue pushing, but lack a striker; Chris Wood should be back for the final few games, by which time they’d really hope to be safe. Anyhow, Erlic is turned by Lucca, pulls him back, and though the ref lets play go, as soon as there’s a break he shows a yellow card. If Midtjylland make the semis, Erlic won’t be playing.
100 min In Larnaca, Sarr has scored his second of the night to put Palace 2-1 up on the night and on aggregate.
98 min Forest have Midtjylland boxed now, a lovely flick around the corner from Gibbs-White ushering Yates past him; from 15 yards and moving away from goal, he slices wide of the near post.
96 min Forest are again dominating possession, Sangare and Anderson taking a hold of midfield. But they can’t quite find a way through and Midtjylland clearly fancy themselves on the counter.
95 min Lucca holds up well and backheels adroitly, then Aina fights his way through a couple of challenges, only to overhit his cross.
93 min Midtjylland did, I think, have the edge in the second half but, at the end, it was Forest looking to win it. Anyway, back to the now, Murillo leaps through Castillo and is booked.
91 min Gibbs-White sticks Aina away at inside-right and he slides into the middle for Lucca who finishes well … but was shoved offside.
91 min We go again…
Changes for Forest: Sangare replaces Dominguez, while Midtjylland try Gabriel for Diao.
Elsewhere, Freiburg have beaten Genk 5-1 on the night and 5-2 on aggregate, while Vigo have won Lyon 2-0 on the night and 3-1 on aggregate. In the Conference, Larnaca and Palace have also gone to extra time.
FULL TIME: Midtjylland (2) 1-2 (2) Nottingham Forest
A bruising ruckus of a contest goes to extra time, and so say all of us.
90+3 min Aina bundles through a challenge and into the box, looking to square for Gibbs-White and winning a corner. This time, Anderson looks for Aina around the penalty spot, and Olafsson does really well to come through a crowd and claim.
90+2 min The corner is headed away but Forest come again; they won’t want extra time, but their big plaers haven’t played a full 90.
90 min We’ll have four additional minutes, which begin with Aina sending another throw into the box, headed behind for a corner. Who wants to be a hero? Anderson to swing in…
