Morgan Gibbs-White is the first player to miss two penalties in a Europa League campaign for an English club
Thursday night’s encounter presented a series of unfortunate events for Nottingham Forest.
Succumbing to a defeat in Braga, the match was compounded by an own goal, a missed penalty, and a subsequent red card.
Entering the match with aspirations of securing a top-eight finish in the Europa League, which would guarantee automatic qualification for the last 16, Sean Dyche’s squad now faces an uphill battle, with those hopes significantly diminished.
Even a victory against Ferencvaros in the final group stage match may not suffice to avoid a two-legged play-off for a spot in the last 16.
The result was further soured by the travelling fans’ disapproval, as evidenced by their booing at both half-time and full-time.
The game’s trajectory could have been altered significantly had Morgan Gibbs-White successfully converted a penalty in the 53rd minute.
However, the midfielder’s attempt was thwarted, and moments later, Braga took the lead courtesy of a Ryan Yates own goal.
“One minute of madness in a game that we never looked in trouble,” Dyche told TNT Sports.
“We miss a penalty – that can happen. The reaction in the next minute or so… we lose the game to a poor goal.
“They get a lift and the crowd go mad, we knock off a bit, and an unfortunate situation for Yatesy. Very frustrated.”
Adding to the frustration, Braga secured the win without registering a single shot on target, a feat only accomplished by one other team in Europa League history.
While Braga’s offensive efforts were limited, with a shot hitting the post at 1-0, Forest’s performance was equally underwhelming throughout much of the match.
Forest slump to Braga defeat with Yates own goal
Dyche implemented seven changes from Saturday’s goalless Premier League draw against Arsenal, a level of alteration last seen in the FA Cup match against Wrexham.
Following their exit from that competition, the Forest manager criticized the performance of the incoming players, but adopted a more lenient stance this time.
“There’s effort there but the cutting edge… we want more of that,” he added.
“We are in a weird situation where I have to protect certain players. We know the Premier League is massively important but we wanted to do well in this competition and we still do.
“It’s a fine line, it’s a juggling act. On one hand you want to protect some players and give everyone a chance.”
Yates suggested that Forest were somewhat unlucky to lose, asserting that the visitors “controlled the most part of the game”.
“We are frustrated because I think we did enough to win the game,” he told TNT Sports.
“We’ve missed an opportunity. Not that we were terrible but we can definitely do better. We have to move on quickly.”
Former Manchester City defender Joleon Lescott offered a different perspective, emphasizing the impact of Elliot Anderson’s late dismissal.
“The perfect way to sum it up is a mess,” he told TNT Sports. “Collectively it wasn’t good enough.
“To top it off and lose someone of the stature of Anderson when you have a massive game next week is devastating.
“You often look at games and wonder if there are any positives. I don’t think there are any tonight.
“A terrible night, terrible performance on what should have been a marvellous evening.”
Anderson will be suspended for the upcoming group stage match, and the club will be hoping the ban is not extended to include the play-off round in February.
The additional fixtures could pose a challenge for Forest as they navigate a busy schedule and strive for Premier League survival, particularly without their key midfielder.
Ultimately, Forest may rue the fact that this situation could have been avoided.
“You might come away with a draw, but you shouldn’t really lose that game,” Dyche said.
But in “one minute of madness”, lose it they did.
Latest Nottingham Forest news, analysis and fan views
Ask about Nottingham Forest – what do you want to know?