Nottingham Forest suffer a major Europa League setback after a 1-0 defeat at Braga, which leaves automatic qualification for the last 16 almost out of reach. Morgan Gibbs-White saw a crucial penalty saved, and Ryan Yates then diverted the ball into Forest’s net. Forest now sit three points, and seven places, behind eighth-place Porto in the league phase standings.
The decisive phase unfolded early in the second half. In the 50th minute, Gabri Martinez brought down James McAtee inside the area, giving Forest a golden chance. Gibbs-White took responsibility from the spot, but Lukas Hornicek guessed correctly, diving low to his left to keep the penalty out and lift the home crowd.
Braga punished that miss almost immediately with a rapid counter on
the right flank. Ricardo Horta received the ball in the box and drilled a low cross across goal. Yates, sprinting back towards his own net, could not adjust his feet and turned the ball past the helpless Forest goalkeeper just 55 seconds after the saved penalty.
The first half had offered few attacking highlights for either Europa League side. Both teams appeared cautious, aware that victory would significantly improve their chances of finishing inside the top eight. The only effort on target before the break came from a Gibbs-White free-kick, which Hornicek acrobatically pushed away to preserve parity.
Forest increased the tempo after falling behind and came close to levelling. Ola Aina tried his luck from distance, and the powerful strike crashed against the crossbar with Hornicek beaten. At the other end, Pau Victor almost doubled Braga’s advantage, striking the post with a first-time attempt inside the penalty area during a rare home attack.
Braga closed the match out with disciplined defending, despite Forest’s late pressure. The visitors finished the Europa League contest with ten players when Elliot Anderson received a red card in stoppage time for dissent, ending any realistic prospect of a late comeback and further damaging Forest’s hopes of climbing the league phase table.
Em vantagem! #GanharComTodos | #UEL pic.twitter.com/Hl1o37lMw1SC Braga (@SCBragaOficial) January 22, 2026
The statistical picture from this Europa League meeting underlines how costly Forest’s missed chances were. Braga did not register a single shot on target yet still secured all three points. Forest created more and better openings according to expected goals, but the visitors lacked the finishing touch and paid heavily for one defensive mistake.
| Team | Shots | Shots on target | Expected goals (xG) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Braga | 6 | 0 | 0.55 |
| Nottingham Forest | 12 | 4 | 1.74 |
Yates endured a difficult Europa League outing beyond the decisive own goal. Yates failed to hit the target with any of three attempts at the Braga goal. Yates also won only one of six duels and conceded four fouls, numbers that captured a tough night for the midfielder in both penalty areas.
| Braga European record | Figure |
|---|---|
| Last 14 European matches (including qualifiers) | 11 wins, 2 draws, 1 loss |
| Clean sheets in that run | 10 |
| European wins in 2025-26 season | 10 (club record for one season) |
This result continues an impressive Europa League and wider European sequence for Braga. Including qualifiers, Braga have now won 11 of their last 14 European fixtures, drawing two and losing one, while keeping 10 clean sheets. Their 10 victories across all European competitions in 2025-26 represent Braga’s highest total within a single campaign.
