Premier League side Nottingham Forest and Portuguese club Braga drew first blood in the Europa League semi-finals, each picking up one-goal wins over Aston Villa and Freiburg, setting up the second legs beautifully.
Aston Villa’s clash with Nottingham Forest was a Premier League treat for the neutrals. And with Forest’s recent revival in their domestic league, it was always going to be a good battle with the high-flying Villans. A 71st-minute penalty converted by veteran striker Chris Wood was enough to give Vitor Pereira’s side a slight edge before they go to Villa Park next week.
There had been chances at either end before Wood hammered home the decisive blow. Nottingham Forest’s in-form striker Igor Jesus thought he’d broken the deadlock in the first half, but Emiliano Martinez made an incredible save from his wicked volley before grasping the loose ball on the goal line. At the other end of the pitch, Villa striker Ollie Watkins was denied by Stefan Ortega from point-blank range, and Forest took advantage when Lucas Digne handled in the penalty area and the clinical Wood fired home his spot kick.
Advantage Forest and Pereira, sacked by Wolverhampton Wanderers early in the campaign, would love to deliver the Europa League title and win Champions League football in 2026/27.
The Villans are closer to guaranteeing a Champions League place for next season, currently fifth in the Premier League table, with an eight-point cushion over Brighton in sixth. But Emery would dearly love to win the competition, which he has won four times already. The Europa League 2026 betting odds made Villa the favourites to win the 2026 title, and while this result is not the best start, they will fancy their chances when they get back to Villa Park.
Late drama in Portugal
Braga and Freiburg contested the other tie, and the result was the same, a home win by a single goal to tee up the second leg perfectly. And it was an injury-time winner from substitute Mario Dorgeles that won the first leg after the two teams had traded blows in an entertaining tussle.
The hosts took an early lead when midfield ace Demir Tiknaz converted a low cross from Victor Gomez with a clinical finish, but with just a quarter of an hour on the clock, Freiburg were back on terms thanks to a calamity in the Braga defence. After two defenders collided, Jan-Niklas Beste burst through and squared the ball for the excellent Vincenzo Grifo to make an easy finish.
Braga had a great chance to regain the lead when Phillip Lienhart fouled Gustaf Lagerbielke, and the referee pointed to the penalty spot. Rodrigo Zalazar hit his spot kick well enough, but Freiburg keeper Noah Atubolu, who had saved five of his last six penalties, made another brilliant stop to tip the ball around the post for a corner, which came to nothing.
But Braga’s celebrations began when Dorgeles met a cross and slid the ball into the bottom right corner with the clock on 92 minutes. It was a tough blow for the Bundesliga side to take, but no more than the hosts deserved after they tested Atubolu with six shots on goal while the Germans only managed two.
What’s next?
The Premier League relegation battle has become incredibly tense, with one club from Leeds United, Nottingham Forest, West Ham United, and Tottenham Hotspur set to drop to the Championship, alongside the already relegated Burnley and Wolverhampton Wanderers. On Monday, Forest travel away to Chelsea, who have just sacked their manager after five consecutive league losses and are vying for a 2026/27 Europa League place.
Forest are currently five points clear of the drop, and with 18th-placed Tottenham away to Villa on Saturday, they will be hopeful of maintaining or even increasing that gap. The Villans are fifth and closing in on a Champions League place.
SC Freiburg are pushing for a top-seven place in the Bundesliga table, currently eighth and level on points with Eintracht Frankfurt in seventh, and they have a home game against relegation candidates Wolfsburg on Sunday. Braga are fourth in the Portuguese Primeira Liga and have a home game against 10th-placed Estoril on Sunday.
And then it’s the second legs of these semi-finals next Thursday, in Birmingham and Freiburg. They are both nicely in the balance, and we’ll be back again next week with our SBOTOP Europa League 2026 updates as it happens.
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