Nottingham Forest sealed a dramatic 2-1 win over Utrecht on match-day six of the 2025-26 UEFA Europa League season, boosting their chances of reaching the next round of the competition, SportPremi Reports.
Arnaud Kalimuendo opened the scoring for the English side early in the second half, but the hosts hit back through substitute Van der Hoorn.
Igor Jesus netted the winner two minutes after coming on to secure the win and seal the Tricky Trees first away win in Europe since 1955.
It marked Forest’s third win of the campaign as they moved up to eighth with 11 points, ahead of other rounds of fixture in the match-day.
Awoniyi, Aina missing again as Forest claim crucial win
Nigerian duo Taiwo Awoniyi and Ola Aina, who were both left out of the nation’s final squad for the 2025 African Cup of Nations, missed the clash as they continued their battle to fitness.
The away side started the game brightly and had several chances to take the lead, but were denied by the Utrecht goalkeeper as the first half ended goalless.
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However, they took the lead early in the second half through Arnaud Kalimuendo, who netted his second goal since joining the club.
The Frenchman was guilty of a wasted chance minutes later, when he failed to connect properly to a chance only few yards out.
The Dutch side pulled level in the 73rd minute as substitute Mike Van der Hoorn headed in past John Victor.
Igor Jesus then had the final say of the game, firing in a rebound just few seconds after coming on to give his side a much-needed 2-1 result.
Players Ratings:
Utrecht Players Ratings
- Barkas – 5.9
- Horemans – 6.2
- Didden – 6.5
- Eerdhuijzen – 7.4
- El Karouani 8.0
- de Wit – 6.2
- Zechiel – 6.6
- Engwanda – 6.8
- Rodriguez – 6.4
- Haller – 5.8
- Cathline – 6.8
Substitutes
- Van der Hoorn – 7.4
- Viergever – 6.1
- Blake – 6.3
Nottingham Forest Players Ratings
- Victor – 6.3
- Zinchenko – 6.9
- Murillo – 7.1
- Morato – 7.0
- Abbott – 6.6
- McAtee – 6.2
- Luiz – 7.2
- Dominguez – 7.7
- Hudson-Odoi – 8.0
- Ndoye – 6.3
- Kalimuendo – 7.8
Substitutes
- Anderson – 7.0
- Sangare – 6.7
- Milenkovic – 6.3
- Gibbs-White – 5.9
- Igor Jesus – 7.0
Man of the match
Callum Hudson-Odoi (8.0/10) – The former Chelsea forward had an impressive outing and was a menace to the opposition. He created three chances in the game and had six touches in the opposition box.
Key Stats
Ball Possession: Utrecht 43% – 57% Nottingham Forest
Total Shots: Utrecht 10 – 19 Nottingham Forest
Shots on Target: Utrecht 3 – 11 Nottingham Forest
Pass Accuracy: Utrecht 85% – 86% Nottingham Forest
Corner: Utrecht 7 – 5 Nottingham Forest
What Next?
Utrecht head to NAC Breda in their next match in the Dutch Eredivisie on Sunday, while Nottingham Forest welcome Tottenham Hotspur to the City Ground on the same day.
