Yates Own Goal And Missed Penalty Sink Forest In Braga

On a rain-soaked night in Portugal, Nottingham Forest’s European aspirations took a sharp hit as they fell 1-0 to Sporting Braga in a tense Europa League group stage clash at the Estádio Municipal de Braga. The defeat, sealed by a second-half own goal from Ryan Yates, leaves Forest on the brink of the dreaded play-off round and sparked audible frustration among the traveling supporters, who made their feelings known at both half-time and full-time.

Sean Dyche, Forest’s manager, made a bold statement before kickoff by ringing in seven changes to the side that had held Premier League leaders Arsenal to a goalless draw just days earlier. Only Matz Sels, Ola Aina, Nikola Milenkovic, and Morgan Gibbs-White kept their places in the starting XI, as Dyche sought fresh legs and perhaps a spark in a crucial European fixture. Braga, too, shuffled their pack, making six changes from their previous league outing, with coach Carlos Vicens opting for a blend of youth and experience to keep their top-eight hopes alive.

The opening forty-five minutes were a drab affair, with both teams struggling to adapt to the torrential rain brought on by Storm Ingrid. The stadium, carved dramatically into a former quarry and only half-filled due to the weather, provided a unique and atmospheric backdrop, but the football on display did little to warm the fans. In fact, the only real chance of the first half fell to Braga’s Gabri Martinez, whose header drifted wide, summing up the lack of attacking intent from both sides.

After the break, the match finally sparked to life. Braga’s Ricardo Horta, lively throughout, blazed over after a slick move involving Martinez. Moments later, Forest were gifted a golden opportunity: Martinez, perhaps overzealous in his defensive duties, brought down James McAtee in the box. Up stepped Morgan Gibbs-White, who already bore the scars of a previous Europa League penalty miss this season. His luck didn’t improve, as Braga keeper Lukas Hornicek guessed correctly and dived low to his left to keep out the spot-kick. The agony for Forest was compounded just 55 seconds later. Horta, given too much space by Milenkovic, surged into the area and attempted a cutback. The ball ricocheted off Yates and trickled agonizingly into the Forest net. It was a cruel blow, and one that Dyche would later label as a “minute of madness.”

“Very frustrating. One minute of madness. A game we never looked in trouble. Never dominated as much as we liked,” Dyche told TNT after the match. “We don’t have a recognised centre-forward and that can make it tricky. The reaction was nowhere good enough for a minute or so. We lost the game to a really poor goal.”

The goal seemed to breathe new life into Braga, who defended with renewed discipline and threatened on the break. Substitute Pau Victor nearly doubled their lead, rattling the inside of the post late on as Forest’s defense wobbled under pressure. Dyche responded with a triple substitution, throwing on Elliot Anderson, Callum Hudson-Odoi, and Neco Williams in a desperate bid to find an equalizer. Ola Aina came closest, unleashing a thunderous 30-yard effort that crashed off the crossbar, while Dan Ndoye was denied by Hornicek from close range. Gibbs-White, eager to atone for his penalty miss, flashed another shot over the bar as time ticked away.

The drama didn’t end there. In stoppage time, Anderson, one of Dyche’s late substitutes, was shown a straight red card for foul and abusive language directed at the referee—a moment of frustration that summed up Forest’s night. The visitors felt aggrieved not to have been awarded a second penalty when Ndoye tumbled under a challenge from Joao Moutinho, but instead, the Swiss winger was booked for simulation. The final whistle was met with a chorus of boos from the Forest faithful, who had braved the elements and the journey only to witness a lackluster display and a potentially costly defeat.

Braga, for their part, executed their game plan to perfection once they had the lead. Under the guidance of Carlos Vicens, the hosts absorbed pressure and looked dangerous on the counter, with the experienced Moutinho anchoring the midfield at 39 years of age. The win lifts Braga to fifth in the group, bolstering their hopes of advancing directly to the last 16 and earning praise for their defensive resilience.

Forest’s woes were exacerbated by their ongoing injury and registration issues. Chris Wood and John Victor remained sidelined, while several players, including Ola Aina, Omari Hutchinson, Taiwo Awoniyi, Angus Gunn, and Jair Cunha, were ineligible for the squad due to Europa League registration rules. The lack of a recognized center-forward, highlighted by Dyche post-match, was evident as Forest struggled to create clear-cut chances and failed to capitalize on their limited opportunities.

Historically, this was only the second-ever meeting between these two sides, with Forest having won a 2016 friendly 3-0. But this time, the English club found themselves on the wrong end of fortune and now sit 15th in the Europa League group standings, three points behind Real Betis in eighth. With only one win in their last eight matches across all competitions, Forest’s form has faltered at the worst possible time.

The path forward is daunting. Forest’s final group match sees them host Ferencvaros at the City Ground on January 29, 2026, where only a win and a favorable sequence of results elsewhere will allow them to leapfrog into the top eight and avoid the play-offs. Before that, they face Brentford in Premier League action on January 25, a fixture that suddenly carries added weight as Dyche’s men look to regain confidence and momentum.

As for the play-offs, the draw is set for January 30, and unless fortune smiles on Forest in the final round, they will be forced to navigate a tricky two-legged tie in February to keep their European journey alive. For now, the mood in the Forest camp is one of frustration and regret, their fate no longer entirely in their own hands.

Braga, meanwhile, can savor a hard-fought victory and the prospect of a deep run in the Europa League. The Estádio Municipal de Braga, with its dramatic quarry setting and passionate home support, proved a fortress once more—a stage where fortune favored the brave, and Nottingham Forest were left to count the cost of missed opportunities and a single, costly mistake.