Nottingham Forest manager Nuno Espirito Santo has no time to brood over Taiwo Awoniyi’s costly penalty miss after Newcastle United eliminated the Reds from the EFL Cup on Wednesday.
Awoniyi was one of two Forest players – the other being Ibrahim Sangare – who missed their kicks in the shootout following the club’s 1-1 draw in regulation time with Newcastle in the second round of the cup competition.
The Nigeria international had the opportunity to draw his side level in the shootout but blasted his effort into the stands, as the Magpies won 4-3 on penalties.
Espirito Santo believes missing the crucial penalty could affect the striker’s confidence, but stated that Awoniyi would enjoy support from the squad.
Espirito Santo delighted to see Taiwo Awoniyi play full 90
Wednesday’s outing against Newcastle was the first time in six months that Taiwo Awoniyi has completed a full 90-minute game, having last done so in February against Manchester United.
The 27-year-old's 2023/24 campaign was blighted by injuries, and he was restricted to substitute appearances in Forest’s opening two games of the Premier League against Bournemouth and Southampton.
Nuno Espirito Santo said: “You cannot ignore the [penalty] moment for all of us, especially for the player involved in that situation.
“But we are here to support him and we don’t have too much time for sorrow because we go again on Saturday.”
Awoniyi’s ability to complete the game against Newcastle, meanwhile, comes as welcome news for his manager.
“In the end it was clear he was lacking some energy but he worked very hard until the end. He had two or three good chances to finish. We want to give Taiwo this opportunity to raise his levels of fitness because the talent is there,” Espirito Santo stated.
Awoniyi has been named in Nigeria’s squad for next month’s 2025 AFCON qualifying matches against Benin and Rwanda.
