One of Pereira’s first duties as Forest boss was to name Murillo in the starting line-up following a two-game injury absence, and while he may have been brought in for his defensive qualities, the Brazilian proved he can do damage at the opposite end of the pitch midway through the first period.
The centre-back charged through the middle of the pitch from the halfway line and chose the opportune moment to drill a low shot into the bottom corner from outside the box.
Buoyed by Murillo’s first European goal, Forest continued to dominate the first period and grabbed a deserved second from a set-piece on the stroke of half-time. Morgan Gibbs-White flicked on a near-post corner for Igor Jesus to head in from close range to register his seventh UEL goal of the season.
Trailing by two goals at the break, Fenerbahce striker Sidiki Cherif attempted to kickstart the fightback when he forced Stefan Ortega into his first save of the game within a minute of the restart.
However, just minutes later, Gibbs-White added a third to effectively quash the home side’s hopes of salvaging a positive first-leg result. Despite stumbling, the Forest talisman managed to steer the ball in from Jesus’s squared pass after Omari Hutchinson’s clever pass sent the pair racing into the box.
Former Manchester City shot-stopper Ederson was then required to prevent the arrears from reaching four, reacting well to thwart Callum Hudson-Odoi and Neco Williams in the closing stages.
From Forest’s perspective, they would have been more than happy with a three-goal margin, bringing an end to their three-game winless run and putting them on the brink of the last 16 ahead of next week’s return leg at the City Ground.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Morgan Gibbs-White (Nottingham Forest)
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