Nottingham Forest finished the preseason with an exhilarating 4-2 victory over sister club Olympiacos in their last friendly.
In order to wrap off their preseason training, the Reds traveled to Greece. They won a thrilling match because of goals from Anthony Elanga, Ryan Yates (X2), and Chris Wood.
Forest’s first corner of the game gave them the lead in the first fifteen minutes of play. Ryan Yates was given the chance to head his own goal into the net when Elliott Anderson cut in a deep corner that Chris Wood, who was unmarked, calmly headed back into the danger area.
Olympiacos answered with Gelson Martins after almost ten minutes. He had a brief period of control before latching onto a long ball and beating Murillo in the area with ability to score past Matz Sels.
Forest took the lead once more a few minutes before the half. Morgan Gibbs-White was awarded a free kick halfway through the Olympiacos half, and another Anderson set-piece was the source of it. Though his punch didn’t connect perfectly, Konstantinos Tzolakis should have had no trouble grabbing the ball that had fallen into the box. After touching the ball after receiving it, Chris Wood volleyed it into an empty net.
The narrative had become even more alike at the hour mark as Forest gained the upper hand in the second half. Wood headed a flicked header by Boly that had rebounded off the post and landed on Yates’ head, who finished similarly to how he had in the first half. It came from another set piece.
A goal by Elanga clinched the win a few minutes later. He received the ball on the right, raced toward his defender, cut inside, and deposited it in the bottom corner.
Olympiacos took the lead thanks to a goal by Martins, his second of the game. Before the forward hit the back of the net, Sels cleared the ball off the line a few times. That lead was reduced to just one when Verde passed Sels in the 89th minute. Olympiacos would have felt lucky to be up in extra time as Forest tried to pull one back.
The amount of substitutions made by Forest in the final minutes had an effect on the Greek team’s comeback. This is the performance of the players on show;
Matz Sels: There wasn’t much that could be done to stop the equalizing goal. Although it was an off-target attempt, his placement did provide a lob attempt on his goal. made a nice save to prevent Olympiacos from having a simple second-half opportunity.
Neco Williams: He was able to escape several tight spots with his speed, and he made good use of it to advance and aid in the onslaught.
Murillo: Although he was defeated by a deft move, he may have done better with his positioning for Martins’ goal. Thought I would discover some long balls, but I couldn’t find any colleagues who had them. possessed strength when the ball was thrown into the box.
Willy Boly: Olympiacos did have a chance in the first half, but they were unable to take it due to a careless mistake. didn’t appear to be significantly challenged aside from it before getting substituted in the second half.
Ola Aina: Most of Forest’s action went down the right, so she didn’t move forward as much as Williams did on the other side. did a good job of defending when facing one on one.
Ryan Yates scored the first goal for Forest and then extended it in the second half by being in the right position at the right time. was occupied in midfield as usual.
Ibrahim Sangare: In the early going, he did a good job sweeping up at the base of midfield and constantly tried to go forward. Had a slight scare in the first half from an injury, but managed to get up and play on. was brought on in the second half, and it appears he will play a major role for Forest this year.
Nicolas Dominguez: Always eager to aid his teammates both offensively and defensively, he was a constant presence on the field, however his passes weren’t always precise.
Morgan Gibbs-White: He lost possession of the ball in the first minutes due to a couple harsh touches. demonstrated some superb touches to create opportunities for teammates and won the free kick that led to Wood’s score.
Elliott Anderson: Considering that both of his set-pieces in the first half ended in goals, it’s not a bad return at all. showed some decent ball-holding skills under pressure.
Chris Wood: With a nice header from the corner, Wood set up Ryan Yates’ goal. Excellent conclusion for Forest’s second goal, which was made possible by the goalkeeper’s error.
Subs;
Callum Hudson-Odoi: He looked menacing as he charged his defender.
Shortly after joining the field, Anthony Elanga won the free kick that resulted in Forest’s third goal. scored a fantastic goal to make it 4-1, utilizing his speed and dribbling abilities.
Danilo: For Olympiacos’ second goal, he may have been caught ball watching on the edge of the area.
Awoniyi: Didn’t really have an effect.
Silva: Didn’t have a significant effect.
Omobamidele: Although Forest did concede twice after he entered the game, Nuno’s attempt to give players much-needed playing time was mostly to blame for this.
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