Nottingham Forest went a goal down in the Europa League against Real Betis before delivering a scintillating first half and two goals. The second half was less memorable but a 2-2 draw on the Reds’ return to Europe was something to remember. George Edwards was at the match
For 48 hours, Nottingham Forest made Seville its home from home. A truly unforgettable experience that has been 30 years in the making, one that will be cherished for a lifetime and where Forest’s football made them look like they belonged at this new level.
It was the acute moment that made the past 25 years of suffering — of rainy midweek away days, of abject football and confidence-sapping experiences — worth every single second.
It didn’t matter that Forest had already been behind. It didn’t matter that most supporters endured a long and sticky wait upon entry to the Estadio La Cartuja. All that mattered, in that one moment, was that — through Igor Jesus — Nottingham Forest had accomplished their European resurrection.
The release of joy and celebration when the Brazilian nodded Forest ahead against Real Betis was untouchable, unmatchable.
Recently, we’ve been blessed with plenty of those moments — the Wembley winner, Awoniyi’s survival knock, Hudson-Odoi’s Anfield brilliance — but taking the lead at Betis might top the lot.
And while the Reds did get their two moments to go wild, they could and perhaps should have had many more.
When they returned to the Premier League after 23 years away, Forest looked out of place and it seemed the step up was one too many, too soon.
Their first venture back in Europe after a 30-year hiatus couldn’t have been more different. They approached Betis — not an easy opener by any stretch — with confidence and swagger, in the end feeling a point was the least they deserved, a first-half display of dominance that merited more than the two goals they scored. Forest were back in Europe, and they belonged there.
That feeling of belonging was felt in Seville from well before 9:23pm on Wednesday night.
For 48 hours, Spain’s historical treasure was transformed into Nottingham’s home away from home. Around every narrow and windy corner was there a Garibaldi shirt, worn with pride and greeted with a gleeful ‘you Reds’ at least, at most a thorough conversation into how magical it felt to be there and which of the many ways taken to arrive in Forest’s new hub.
It was a chance to revel in the journey and to remember everybody who had contributed —good or bad — along the years to Forest’s current status.
“Danny, Danny Fox”, my personal favourite, “Super Benny Watson” and Dorus de Vries were amongst others celebrated, sung with the same impetus years on as they once were during the darker days.
The experience almost drew the game into insignificance.
Yes, during the 90 minutes all 3,500 travelling pairs of eyes were on the football field, fully invested in a Forest victory, but even had they’d have lost 5-0, nothing would have detracted from a moment and experience that’s been three decades in the making.
The football Forest played only added to what was a truly unforgettable experience from start to finish, one where young and old, man and woman, were united with their one mutual love.
It will still take time for many of those passionate supporters to unite behind Ange Postecoglou, but watching Forest pass with the slickness and quality that they did in the first half, I’m sure there were very few wishing his predecessor Nuno Espírito Santo was standing in the dugout rather than the Australian.
That’s not to say it was time to part ways with Nuno, but rather that Postecoglou’s intentions are clear — 13 shots on goal in the first 45 compared to the host’s solitary effort (that went in, of course).
Ange has had very little time on the training field, with a match every three/four days since his arrival, making change in the drastic manner he desires a somewhat unachievable prospect. Yet the difference is evident and was on display in Seville.
Unfortunately, Forest did drop off in the second half and by the end looked shattered, the substitutes bar Ryan Yates failing to aid the battle in a positive way and the final whistle a welcome relief. That’s the concern for Ange and a common theme in all three games since Arsenal: failing to make their dominance show, taking the lead and failing to hold it.
A honeymoon period never really occurs in football, but if Ange had one it’s certainly over now. His crisp style and positive manner is creeping through by the minute, and Forest have no real time to wait for it to integrate fully.
They have a European-winning manager. They have players with either experience of European football or who showed last night that they are worthy of competing at this level. They have an owner whose ambition has no ceiling.
And while the magic that Seville brought was undoubtedly worth the wait, every element of Nottingham Forest is geared up to ensure that this historic European reunion is the beginning of a revolution rather than the summit of their journey.
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