FOREST STIFLE VILLA TO SEIZE FIRST-LEG EUROPA ADVANTAGE.

Nottingham Forest turned the City Ground into a fortress, grinding out a 1-0 win over
Aston Villa in the first leg of their UEFA Europa League semi-final.

A tightly fought opening saw both sides probe cautiously, though early saves from
Stefan Ortega denied Youri Tielemans and Morgan Rogers.

Emiliano Martinez was also called into action, reacting sharply to keep out Igor Jesus
and preserve parity before the break.

The second half drifted until a decisive VAR moment handed Forest their chance.
Lucas Digne was penalised for handball after Omari Hutchinson’s delivery, and Chris
Wood stepped up to rifle his penalty into the top corner.

Villa, so often dangerous in Europe, failed to ignite after going behind. Unai Emery’s men struggled to break through a disciplined Forest side that looked more likely to add a second than concede.

Forest now carries a narrow but valuable lead into the return leg, while Villa must
rediscover their cutting edge to turn the tie around.