Igor Jesus nets late winner as Nottingham Forest claim first european away victory in 29 years

Nottingham Forest strengthened their bid for automatic qualification to the Europa League knockout stage after substitute Igor Jesus struck a decisive late goal to seal a 2–1 win over Utrecht, Sport360NG reports.

The Brazilian forward made an immediate impact, scoring just 82 seconds after coming off the bench. He reacted quickest to a rebound after Dan Ndoye’s header was parried, calmly steering home the winner with two minutes left on the clock.

Forest had earlier taken the lead through Arnaud Kalimuendo early in the second half. The forward benefited from a fortunate bounce following a failed Utrecht clearance, allowing him to guide the ball into the net.

Despite Forest’s early dominance, registering eight shots in the opening 20 minutes, their advantage was undone when former Swansea defender Mike van der Hoorn headed in an equaliser from a set piece. The goal lifted the home side, who pushed forward with renewed confidence and threatened to complete the comeback as Forest left spaces at the back.

However, Sean Dyche’s side held firm, and the introduction of Igor Jesus proved decisive, securing Forest’s third win in six European outings and their first away victory on the continent since 1995.

For Utrecht, the defeat continued a difficult European campaign, leaving them winless after six matches.

With two league-phase fixtures remaining, Forest remain well positioned to finish inside the top eight, the cutoff for automatic progression to the knockout rounds.