How Nottingham Forest's 'terrible' trip to Braga unfolded as an own goal, missed penalty and a red card left their Europa League hopes in the balance

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Nottingham Forest were booed off by their travelling supporters after Ryan Yates’ own goal condemned them to a UEFA Europa League defeat at Sporting Braga. Morgan Gibbs-White missed a crucial opportunity moments earlier, seeing his penalty saved just 55 seconds before Braga struck. The uninspired display leaves Forest's hopes of a top-eight finish in the competition looking increasingly remote.

Highlights: Forest suffer shock loss in Portugal after Yates own goal, Anderson red

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An own goal, a missed penalty and a late sending off.

Everything that might have gone wrong for Nottingham Forest on their trip to Portugal in the UEFA Europa League on Thursday night did in spectacular fashion as their hopes of qualifying for the last 16 were thrown into the balance by Sporting Braga.

Elliot Anderson's red card in the closing stages compounded a miserable evening for Sean Dyche's side, adding insult to injury after Morgan Gibbs-White's missed penalty failed to spare the blushes of Ryan Yates, whose unfortunate own goal was the difference.

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There were more Forest supporters inside the Estadio Municipal de Braga than home fans, who were drowned out by the jeers from the travelling contingent at the final whistle.

Braga sealed their place in the top eight, meaning the play-offs will be of no concern to them - but Forest must get a result in their final match of the league phase against Hungarian champions Ferencvaros at the City Ground and hope other results go their way.

"It's been a terrible night, and it was a terrible performance," Steve McManaman told TNT Sports.

Manic minute as Forest concede own goal after Gibbs White misses penalty

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"What should have been a marvellous evening where they could have come here, got a result and then everything would have rolled forward to Ferencvaros in front of a home crowd.

"But the players are being greeted by a lot of boos and gesticulation from the Forest fans, and rightly so. It was a woeful performance tonight that was compounded by the red card, so Elliot Anderson will be missing next week when they really need him.

"It was an awful goal to concede. There was a rubbish backheel in the build-up, but it somehow made its way past [Nikola] Milenkovic and Morato. It's indicative of how the game has gone. No quality, and then that happens. Scruffy as you like."

TNT Sports commentator Darren Fletcher said: "You might as well play the 'Keystone Cops' theme tune over that goal."

Yates' misfortune came just 55 seconds after Gibbs-White had failed to convert from the penalty spot, but it would have been a barely deserved lead given Forest's toothless approach up to that point.

McManaman described the contact on James McAtee inside the box as "almost accidental" as the decision survived a VAR check, but Gibbs-White telegraphed his spot-kick, allowing Lukas Hornicek to make a comfortable save.

Gibbs-White forces Braga keeper into super stop from 'excellent' free-kick

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But Forest didn't improve even after Sean Dyche belatedly turned to his bench for reinforcements, underlining that when he looks beneath his core first XI, there are very few options.

After another attack broke down, McManaman observed: "Dyche has waved a load of his substitutes over from the touchline and not a moment too soon. It's so slow. You would think they're 5-0 up, not 1-0 behind.

"Forest have not been aggressive enough. The subs could have easily come on at half-time. When you get down to squad level and the fringe players who are 14-20, they're not good enough.

"They've been offered the chances against lesser opposition, tonight and in the FA Cup, and they haven't performed at all. So, unfortunately, you can't rely on them in the big games.

"I was present in Wrexham, and it was awful. Today is the same. Today, Nottingham Forest started off the same. Wrexham were probably better than Braga in the first 45 minutes."

Forest now lie in 16th place - the last of the seeded play-off spots - with 11 points from their seven games. Regardless of victory in their final game, the likelihood is they will be forced into a two-legged play-off next month, with Real Betis currently occupying eighth spot on 14 points.

To make matters worse, Forest will also now be without their England international Anderson after he muttered something to the Croatian match official Igor Pajac in the fifth minute of stoppage time.

On Anderson's dismissal, McManaman added: "I've no idea why unless he said something. Well, that's compounded everything. There was no pause - it [the red card] was out straight away."

Forest's wretched night in numbers

According to Opta, Forest became just the second team in Europa League history to lose a match without facing a shot on target.

It is also only the second time a side has missed a penalty, scored an own goal and received a red card in the same match in the competition.

Joleon Lescott told TNT Sports: "It was a mess. Even the goal they concede, the way Braga got through to their goal and the opportunity to get to their net. Collectively, it was not good enough."

Yates simply couldn't work his feet out as Braga broke through a couple of poor challenges down the Forest left, but Matz Sels was a virtual spectator for the remainder of the game.

Referee Igor Pajac shows a red card to Elliot Anderson

Image credit: Getty Images

Ola Aina struck the woodwork with one speculative effort while Gibbs-White blazed another presentable chance over as Forest failed to calm an increasingly tense away contingent.

Yates told TNT Sports: "It's very disappointing. I feel we controlled most parts of the game, but I unfortunately made a mistake at the other end. Then we could never get a foothold in the game after that.

"When you get handed an opportunity, and you don't take it, you get punished. I have to hold my hands up. I should have done better.

"We are frustrated, as I think we have done enough to win the game. Frustrating when results don't go your way. We have missed an opportunity, and that's why we're frustrated - not that we were terrible on the night.

"It's fine margins. We have to keep working and put that right. We are still in a solid position in the competition. There's no negativity in the dressing room, that's for sure."

'One minute of madness cost us the game'

Dyche revealed to TNT Sports after the game that the club are working on bringing in a striker this month, with the owners able to see from this disappointing 1-0 reverse that more options are needed.

The former Everton boss was left frustrated by a lack of cutting edge in the final third - but defended his team selection with qualification still on the line.

"There is effort here, that killer edge, we want more of that," the Forest boss said. "It was one minute of madness. It was a game we never looked in trouble in, but we never dominated as much as we would have liked.

SC Braga players celebrate after Ryan Yates' own goal

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"We don't have a recognised centre-forward and that can make it tricky. The reaction was nowhere good enough for a minute or so. We lost the game to a really poor goal.

"Of course, we are in that weird situation where we have to protect players who are playing a lot of football.

"We want to do well in this competition, we still do, of course. It is a fine line - it is a juggling act. You want to give everyone a chance to showcase themselves.

"They are working ever so hard in training. To come here, we suspect to step on and that is the kind of thing we are waiting for, that feeling to take the game on, and it never really occurred.

"You might come away with a draw, but you shouldn't really lose that game. I don't think they hardly had a real chance, then we had a goalmouth scramble and even that can't go in."

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