BY OUR MAN IN ISTANBUL
VITOR PEREIRA didn’t just walk back into the Sukru Saracoglu Stadium last night—he owned it.
Just four days after taking the Forest hotseat, the Portuguese boss returned to his former stomping ground and watched his Tricky Trees dismantle Fenerbahce in a 3-0 masterclass that was as clinical as it was cold-blooded.
If there were any doubts about life after Sean Dyche, they were vaporized within 21 minutes by a moment of pure Samba sorcery. MURILLO, the Brazilian powerhouse, decided he’d seen enough of the tactical cagey-ness.
He picked the ball up near the halfway line, drove through the heart of the Fener midfield like they were training cones, and unleashed a 25-yard guided missile into the bottom corner.
The Istanbul cauldron, usually a graveyard for English ambitions, fell deathly silent. But the Forest stars were only just warming up.
IGOR JESUS, the man with the Europa League Midas touch, doubled the lead just before the break.
After Morgan Gibbs-White flicked on a corner with the grace of a ballet dancer, Jesus was there to nod home his seventh European goal of a record-breaking campaign.
The second half was barely five minutes old when the duo swapped roles to kill the contest. Jesus turned provider, squaring a clever ball for GIBBS-WHITE.
Despite losing his footing, the Forest skipper showed nerves of steel to poke the ball through the legs of Ederson and effectively book Forest’s place in the next round.
While the goalscorers grabbed the back pages, this was a team performance built on granite.
Elliot Anderson ran the engine room with tireless energy, while Stefan Ortega remained a spectator for much of the night, protected by a defensive line that refused to bend.
Fenerbahce, featuring big names like Marco Asensio and N’Golo Kante, looked shell-shocked. A late VAR scare for a handball against Murillo was rightly waved away, leaving the home fans to head for the exits long before the final whistle.
Forest return to the City Ground with a three-goal cushion and a newfound swagger.
On this evidence, the “Tricky Trees” aren’t just in Europe to make up the numbers—they’re here to take over.
