Super Eagles defender Ola Aina came off injured in the second half as Nottingham Forest recorded a hard-fought 1-0 win over Aston Villa in their Europa League semifinal first leg.
The Nigerian defender was on the end of a rough tackle from Lucas Digne around the hour mark, before coming off in the 75th minute for Zach Abbott.
Forest will hope the injury to Ola Aina is not too serious, heading into the remaining games of the season.
Nottingham Forest edge Villa in first leg clash
Nottingham Forest entered the clash on the back of an eight-game unbeaten run and having edged FC Porto in the last round.
Aston Villa meanwhile, thrashed Italian side Bologna in their own quarter-final tie to set up an all-English semifinal.
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The game started off with each side taking a cautious approach but Aston Villa had the better chances early on and forced Stefan Ortega into several saves.
Then, Emiliano Martinez produced a stunning stop to deny Igor Jesus as they went into the break without a goal.
Both sides had chances to add to the scoreline, but it was Forest who were handed a massive opportunity after a penalty kick was awarded to them for a handball against Digne after review by the VAR.
Chris Wood comfortably scored past Martinez to put the home side in the lead in the 71st minute of the encounter.
Jadon Sancho had a late effort saved as Nottingham Forest held on to seal a 1-0 win in the first leg clash.
What Next?
Nottingham Forest and Aston Villa will face-off once again in the second leg encounter next Thursday, with a place in the final against Braga or Freiburg at stake.
