‘A bit of confusion’ – What Ola Aina said after Nottingham Forest seal UEL semi-final spot

Super Eagles defender Ola Aina has applauded Nottingham Forest for showing strong character after securing a place in the semifinals of the UEFA Europa League, Afrik-Foot reports.

The first leg had finished 1-1 in Portugal last week, but the Tricky Trees secured a 2-1 aggregate win over FC Porto to reach their first European semifinal in 42 years, after a 1-0 triumph in the second leg at the City Ground on Thursday night.

Nottingham Forest were handed an early boost when Porto went down to 10 men following the dismissal of Jan Bednarek for a reckless challenge on Chris Wood, forcing the striker off the pitch.

Morgan Gibbs-White then made the advantage count in the 12th minute, his effort taking a wicked deflection before finding the net.

Despite late pressure from Porto, Forest held firm to seal a 1-0 win on the night and progress to the semifinal of an European competition for the first time since 1984, when they were also knocked out by Anderlecht in the old UEFA Cup.

Ola Aina reacts to Nottingham Forest’s European progress

Nigerian star Ola Aina delivered an impressive performance at right-back, contributing both defensively and also in attack as Nottingham Forest booked a last four spot in the Europa League. 

Speaking after the game, the 29-year-old expressed his delight at the team’s achievement and praised their determination.

“We never made it easy for ourselves, but I cannot complain. We’re into the semifinals of the Europa League, so I’m happy with it,” Aina told Nottingham Forest TV post-match.

“It feels amazing after the season we’ve been having. Sometimes these rewards feel phenomenal, so I’m just happy to get into a semi-final with these boys, this club. Everybody deserves it. The character of the boys, and the quality as well, to be honest. We have the quality to do these types of things, so it’s definitely a testament to ourselves and the club.

“There was a bit of confusion. Some of us wanted to settle the play, some wanted to get more goals, so it was just a bit of confusion. But the core thing was to work hard and sort it out and that’s what we did.”

Despite their European success, Forest continue to battle in the Premier League, with survival still not guaranteed as the season enters its final few matches.

Aina also stressed the importance of treating every remaining game like a final as they fight to maintain their top-flight status at the end of the season.

“I think the rest of the games are must-wins. Sunday, we are going in with full focus, and we’ll play just as tough and hard as we did tonight”, he continued.

Nottingham Forest will now take on Aston Villa in an all-English semi-final and Aina is already looking forward to the challenge.

“At the beginning of the season, these are the sort of games you want to play in, so we just have to soak everything up and try our best. That will be a tough game against Aston Villa in the semifinal and we already know how good they are. But yeah, onto the next which is against Burnley on Sunday”, the former Torino defender added.

The Super Eagles right-back also called on the club’s supporters to continue backing the team, which goes a long way in motivating the players during games.

“That’s all we ask for, just to make noise, keep encouraging us and keep pushing us forward to do our best for the club.

“We are a bunch of guys that aspire to achieve things so hopefully we can keep pushing on and you never know where we’ll end up”, Ola Aina concluded.

Nottingham Forest will celebrate their European success, but attention quickly shifts back to the Premier League, where a crucial clash against Burnley awaits this weekend in their battle for survival. 

At the same time, their Europa League journey remains alive, giving the club a chance to win a piece of silverware and a first major European title since 1980.