Nottingham Forest’s chances of finishing in the Europa League’s automatic qualification places are effectively over after a damaging 1-0 loss away to Braga.
The decisive moment came in cruel fashion as captain Ryan Yates turned the ball into his own net shortly after the interval, just moments after Morgan Gibbs-White had squandered a golden opportunity from the penalty spot.
That setback leaves Forest almost certain to be dragged into the play-off round, adding two more fixtures to an already congested calendar.
Sitting on 11 points, they trail the top eight by three and would now require an improbable collapse from seven teams above them to progress directly.
It was a miserable evening in Portugal, compounded deep into stoppage time when Elliot Anderson was sent off for dissent after appearing to direct comments at referee Igor Pajac.
The dismissal only added to the growing frustration around the club, with disgruntled supporters venting their anger as pressure mounts on head coach Sean Dyche.
Forest will hope incoming striker Lorenzo Lucca can inject a spark, starting with Sunday’s Premier League trip to Brentford.
With Igor Jesus injured and Taiwo Awoniyi unregistered, Forest travelled without a recognised centre-forward. Winger Dan Ndoye was asked to lead the line but struggled to impose himself as Forest laboured through a forgettable first half.
Their lone clear sight of goal before the break came from a Morgan Gibbs-White free-kick, which looked destined for the top corner before Braga goalkeeper Lukas Hornicek produced a superb save.
The hosts offered little in response, though Gabriel Martínez glanced a header wide after Nicolò Savona was caught napping at the back post.
The contest turned dramatically early in the second half. Forest were awarded a penalty when James McAtee went down under pressure from Martínez, a decision upheld by VAR. Gibbs-White’s tame effort, however, was comfortably saved by Hornicek.
Within a minute, Forest were behind. Ricardo Horta’s low delivery ricocheted off Yates and rolled helplessly into the net, leaving the visitors stunned.
Gibbs-White nearly redeemed himself soon after but fired over from a promising position, while Ola Aina came agonisingly close with a fierce long-range strike that crashed against the crossbar. Braga also struck the woodwork through Pau Victor as both sides searched for another breakthrough.
Forest continued to push, with Gibbs-White and Ndoye both denied by the impressive Hornicek, while Yates saw a close-range header deflected onto the roof of the net.
The final whistle arrived amid controversy, as Anderson was dismissed for his words to the referee, capping off a night to forget for Forest.
