Football is weird. Seriously. One minute you're watching a team struggle to string three passes together in the pouring rain, and the next, they're toppling a European giant under the floodlights of a stadium that has seen more history than most history books. That is exactly what we got with Nottingham Forest vs FC Porto.
If you missed it, or if you’re just trying to make sense of the chaos, you aren't alone. This wasn't just another fixture in the calendar. It was a collision of two clubs with two European Cups each—basically royalty—meeting in a modern era that often forgets the weight of those stars on their shirts.
The match on October 23, 2025, wasn't supposed to go the way it did. On paper, Porto were the heavy favorites. They arrived at the City Ground on a tear, winning nearly everything in sight. Forest? Well, Forest had just hired Sean Dyche. It was his first game. The "Ginger Mourinho" vs the Portuguese powerhouse. Honestly, nobody saw a 2-0 Forest win coming.
The Sean Dyche Effect: Why Porto Couldn't Cope
The atmosphere at the City Ground for Nottingham Forest vs FC Porto was electric, but also a bit nervous. Forest hadn't won a home game in Europe since the mid-90s. That’s a long time to wait for a bit of continental magic.
Dyche didn't do anything fancy. He did what he does best: he made them hard to beat. Porto had 49% of the ball, which is a lot for an away team in Europe, but they didn't know what to do with it. Every time they tried to penetrate the middle, they ran into a wall of red shirts. It was frustrating to watch if you're a Porto fan. Total stalemate in open play.
But football games are won on moments. Specifically, moments involving Jan Bednarek’s arm and a very busy VAR room.
The first goal came early. 19 minutes in. A penalty. Morgan Gibbs-White stepped up, cool as you like, and sent Diogo Costa the wrong way. The City Ground basically exploded. You've got to understand the relief in that stadium; it wasn't just about a goal, it was about proving they belonged on this stage again.
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VAR and the Penalty Drama
Let's talk about the second half because things got spicy. Porto thought they had equalized through Bednarek. They were celebrating, the away end was bouncing, and then... the dreaded silence.
VAR checked it. Offside. Samuel Aghehowa had strayed just a fraction before the scramble. It’s the kind of decision that makes you hate modern football but love it when it goes your way.
Then came the 77th minute. Another penalty. This one was controversial. Nicolò Savona went down, the ref originally booked him for diving, and then VAR intervened again. After a long look at the monitor, the ref flipped the script. Penalty Forest. Booking rescinded.
The Porto bench lost their minds. One of their coaches actually got sent off in the melee. Amidst all that screaming, Igor Jesus stepped up. He didn't blink. 2-0. Game over.
The History You Probably Forgot
It’s easy to focus on the 2025 clash, but the connection between these two goes deeper. They are part of an elite club of teams that have won back-to-back European Cups.
- Nottingham Forest: 1979 and 1980.
- FC Porto: 1987 and 2004 (okay, not back-to-back, but still two!).
People forget that Forest is the only club in Europe with more European Cups than domestic league titles. That’s a wild stat. When they play a team like Porto, it’s a "heritage" match.
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Porto usually dominates English teams—well, they usually give them a hard time, anyway. But their record on English soil is actually pretty grim. Before this game, they had only won once in 24 away trips to England. That’s a psychological hurdle that clearly hasn't been cleared yet.
What Most People Get Wrong About This Result
People like to say Forest "got lucky" with two penalties.
Kinda. But also, no.
If you look at the xG (expected goals), Forest were at 2.1 while Porto were languishing at 0.6. Porto had 10 shots, but how many actually tested Matz Sels? One. Just one save for the Belgian keeper all night.
Forest didn't win because of luck; they won because they were incredibly efficient. They forced Porto into making mistakes in the box. When you have players like Callum Hudson-Odoi and Gibbs-White running at defenders who are used to having more time on the ball in the Primeira Liga, those defenders panic. Bednarek panicked. Martim Fernandes panicked.
The Standout Performers
You can't talk about this game without mentioning Igor Jesus. The guy was a nuisance for 90 minutes. He’s got that physical presence that Dyche loves, but he’s also got a bit of Brazilian flair that keeps defenders guessing.
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And then there’s Morgan Gibbs-White. Honestly, he’s the heartbeat of that team. He creates, he scores, he leads. If Forest are going to do anything in the Europa League this season, it’ll be on his back.
On the Porto side, Alan Varela tried his best to pull the strings, but he was isolated. The gap between Porto's midfield and their strikers was a canyon. Samu Omorodion, who usually eats defenders for breakfast, was kept quiet by Murillo and Nikola Milenković. It was a defensive masterclass.
What's Next for Both Teams?
This result changed the trajectory of the Europa League league phase.
For Forest, it was a "we're back" moment. They moved to four points from three games, putting them right back in the hunt for the knockout stages. More importantly, it gave the fans a reason to believe in the Sean Dyche era. Clean sheets and home wins—that's the blueprint.
For Porto, it was a wake-up call. You can't just show up and expect your "big club" status to win games. They looked stunned. Their long unbeaten run was snapped, and they had to go back to the drawing board to figure out why their attack vanished the second they crossed the English Channel.
Real-World Takeaways
If you’re a betting person or just a fan trying to predict what happens next time these two meet, keep an eye on these factors:
- The Home/Away Disparity: Porto at the Dragão is a different beast entirely. Expect them to be 50% more aggressive when they host Forest.
- The Physicality Gap: English teams, especially under Dyche, play a brand of football that is physically draining. Porto's technical players need more protection from the ref next time, or they need to toughen up.
- VAR Influence: In the era of high-stakes European football, these matches are decided by millimeters. The fact that two penalties and a disallowed goal defined this game tells you everything about the current state of the sport.
Forest proved that history doesn't just live in the trophy cabinet; sometimes it shows up on the pitch. Porto proved that no matter how good you are at home, the City Ground is a place where giants can still fall.
Keep an eye on the Europa League standings as we head into the final rounds of the league phase. Forest needs to find consistency away from home, while Porto needs to ensure their "English curse" doesn't derail their entire European campaign. Watch the highlights again if you can; the Igor Jesus "Kamehameha" celebration alone is worth the price of admission.