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Porto and Nottingham Forest open Europa League quarter-final with early drama
Porto and Nottingham Forest began their UEFA Europa League quarter-final first leg with a chaotic opening in Portugal on Thursday, April 9, 2026, which was early Friday, April 10, in Japan. The tie already carried a strong storyline before kickoff: Forest are back in a European quarter-final for the first time in 30 years, while Porto arrived with a strong home record in this season’s competition.
What happened
UEFA’s pre-match background described the game as a meeting between two former European champions. Porto reached the last eight by beating Stuttgart 4-1 on aggregate in the round of 16, while Forest advanced past Midtjylland on penalties after a 2-2 aggregate tie. The teams had already met once in this season’s Europa League, with Forest winning 2-0 at the City Ground on October 23, 2025.
Before the match, The Guardian reported that Nottingham Forest had a boost with Chris Wood returning from a long injury absence, although manager Vitor Pereira said his minutes would need to be managed carefully. Pereira’s return to Porto also added extra attention to the fixture.
Live coverage from The Guardian said Porto made the stronger start and went ahead in the 11th minute through William Gomes. Forest were level only two minutes later after a long back-pass from Martim Fernandes rolled into Porto’s own net with goalkeeper Diogo Costa out of position. The same report said Fernandes later left the game injured, while Porto still created the better chances before halftime.
At that stage, the first leg was level at 1-1, leaving the quarter-final finely balanced ahead of the return match in Nottingham, scheduled by UEFA for Thursday, April 16, 2026.
Why this matters
For foreigners in Japan, the match is a good example of how major European football stories arrive on a very different clock. UEFA scheduled Porto vs Nottingham Forest for 21:00 CET on April 9, which meant an early-morning start in Japan on April 10. For many international residents following clubs from England or Portugal, this is the kind of overnight match that is usually caught through morning updates rather than live viewing.
The tie also matters because Forest’s European run is unusual and historically significant. This is their first season back in continental competition in three decades, which gives the club’s progress extra weight for overseas supporters. Porto, meanwhile, remain one of Portugal’s biggest names in European football, so the matchup has broad international relevance well beyond the two cities involved.
For Japan-based readers, the practical next step is clear: the second leg in Nottingham could decide one of the more notable Europa League stories of the month.
Sources
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