Ola Aina played his part as Nottingham Forest secured a dramatic passage into the UEFA Europa League quarter finals, overcoming FC Midtjylland 2-1 on the night before sealing victory via penalties after a tense two leg contest.
Trailing 1-0 from the first leg, Forest manager Vítor Pereira made sweeping changes to his starting lineup, clearly balancing European ambitions with an important league clash ahead. Despite the rotation, the visitors started brightly and quickly imposed themselves, with Dilane Bakwa firing an early warning just over the bar.
Forest continued to dominate possession and attacking momentum in the first half, with Bakwa at the centre of their best moves. The breakthrough finally arrived in the 41st minute when Nicolás Domínguez reacted quickest in the box to guide a looping header beyond goalkeeper Elias Olafsson, levelling the tie on aggregate.
The visitors carried that momentum into the second half and took control of the contest when Ryan Yates produced a stunning finish in the 52nd minute, striking a superb effort into the side netting to give Forest a 2-0 lead on the night.
Midtjylland responded with determination and reduced the deficit in the 69th minute through Martin Erlić, who finished emphatically after a well worked move, setting up a tense finale.
Ola Aina was introduced in the 75th minute and quickly made an impact at both ends of the pitch. The Nigerian defender came close to scoring late on when his effort from distance was tipped over by Olafsson, while he also remained solid defensively as the hosts pushed for an equaliser.
Both sides created late chances but could not find a decisive goal, forcing the match into extra time. Forest thought they had won it early in the additional period when Lorenzo Lucca finished from Aina’s pass, but the goal was ruled out for offside. Another late header from Yates also suffered the same fate, ensuring the tie would be decided by penalties.
In the shootout, Midtjylland faltered under pressure, missing their opening attempts through Cho Gue-sung and Aral Simsir, before Edward Chilufya also failed from the spot. Forest held their nerve, converting all their penalties to secure progression and end the Danish side’s impressive six match unbeaten home run in Europe.
The victory sends Nottingham Forest into a European quarter final for the first time in three decades. Ola Aina, who featured for the final stages of the match, completed 13 of his 16 passes, made two clearances and one interception, and recorded 31 touches in a composed display off the bench.
