Nottingham Forest secured a dramatic passage to the Europa League semi-finals, but the victory over Porto came at a potential cost. Manager Vitor Pereira praised his squad's spirit after a tense 1-0 win at the City Ground, sealed by a deflected Morgan Gibbs-White strike that gave Forest a 2-1 aggregate triumph.

Pereira was quick to deflect praise onto his players, emphasizing the collective effort. "I have a fantastic team, it’s not about the manager," he said. "They have the spirit, character and quality. They deserve it. The club and the supporters deserve it. We need to suffer together and feel proud at the end."

The celebration, however, is tempered by a triple injury concern that casts a shadow over their crucial Premier League relegation battle. Callum Hudson-Odoi, Murillo, and Chris Wood were all forced off during the match. While Pereira expressed hope that the issues for Murillo and Wood are minor, he revealed serious worry about Hudson-Odoi. "Only Hudson-Odoi, maybe, was a muscular injury," Pereira stated. "We don’t know."

This setback arrives just as Forest must swiftly switch focus from European glory to a vital domestic survival fight, with a pivotal match against Burnley looming this Sunday. The semi-final draw has set up an all-Premier League clash against Aston Villa, promising another epic chapter in Forest's remarkable European campaign.