Nottingham Forest held Porto to a 1-1 draw in the Europa League quarter-final first leg, despite facing heavy pressure and conceding early at Estadio Do Dragao. William Gomes opened the scoring for Porto, but a chaotic own goal from Martim Fernandes brought Forest level, while goalkeeper Stefan Ortega delivered several key saves to keep the tie finely balanced.
Porto created far more chances across the match, generating 2.17 expected goals from 16 shots compared to Forest’s 0.45 from only six attempts. Ortega, the former Manchester City goalkeeper, repeatedly denied Porto and made seven saves, ensuring the second leg at the City Ground starts with the scores level at 1-1.
The opening phase was intense as Porto almost struck after just 45 seconds,
when Terem Moffi and Borja Sainz both saw efforts stopped in quick succession by Ortega. The goalkeeper soon gathered another drive from Sainz, with Forest struggling to settle while Porto pressed high and pushed attacks down both flanks.
Porto’s pressure told after 11 minutes, following strong work from Pablo Rosario. Rosario resisted a challenge from Zach Abbott before sliding a pass in behind for Gabri Veiga, whose low ball across the six-yard area was turned in at the far post by William, giving Porto a deserved advantage.
Forest responded almost immediately, equalising just two minutes later through an unusual incident. Martim Fernandes hit a powerful back pass towards Diogo Costa, but the Porto goalkeeper could not reach the ball. Costa watched helplessly as it rolled into an empty net, and Fernandes was substituted in a frantic opening spell.
Porto continued to search for another goal before half-time, with Ortega required to stop further attempts from Moffi and Seko Fofana. After the interval, Igor Jesus thought a second Porto goal had arrived, but a VAR review ruled it out due to a foul on Costa in the build-up, adding to the home side’s frustration.
William remained a constant threat, underlined by another major chance when a driven effort seemed destined for the net. Ortega produced a full-stretch diving save to keep it out, then later blocked a tame shot from Alan Varela. Porto could not turn pressure into a winner and had to accept a draw on home ground.
It finishes level in Porto. pic.twitter.com/32anejIqekNottingham Forest (@NFFC) April 9, 2026
Nottingham Forest vs Porto data debrief and key numbers
Statistically, Porto dominated attacking metrics, with William central to much of their forward play. William led Porto for shots, with three attempts, and recorded four touches inside the Forest penalty area. William also posted 0.82 expected goals, attempted seven dribbles and contested 13 duels, underlining an influential all-round performance.
Despite Porto’s higher xG and volume of attempts, Forest left Portugal with a result that keeps qualification hopes alive. Ortega’s display, the bizarre Fernandes own goal and William’s influence shaped a tense first leg, leaving the quarter-final finely poised before the return meeting at the City Ground next week.
