Sports news in brief

Forest set up Villa clash after narrow win

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Nottingham Forest reached their first European semi-final since 1984 as they set up an all-English Europa League last-four meeting with Aston Villa. Not since the glory days of Brian Clough have Forest performed as well on the continent, where they won back-to-back European Cups and got to the last four of the Uefa Cup in a five-year period.

Now, Vitor Pereira’s current crop are dreaming of writing their own chapter in the club’s storied history after they dispatched 10-man Porto 2-1 on aggregate in the quarterfinal.

Morgan Gibbs-White scored the only goal of the game to earn a 1-0 second-leg win on a night where the club rallied around England international Elliot Anderson, whose mother died in the build up to the game.

Forest’s landmark victory, helped by former Southampton defender Jan Bednarek’s early red card, flies in the face of their turbulent season, which has seen them go through four managers.

Meanwhile, Aston Villa blew Bologna away with a trio of first-half goals as they roared into the semifinals with a 4-0 victory, winning 7-1 on aggregate. Unai Emery’s side cruised into a second European semifinal in three years to set up an all-Premier League clash in Istanbul.

Villa brought a healthy 3-1 lead into the home leg of their last-eight clash and any hopes of an Italian revival were quickly snuffed out as the rampant hosts ran in three goals in the first period, starting with a lovely team effort which was rounded off by Ollie Watkins tapping in his 100th goal for the club.

Emi Buendia put Villa 2-0 ahead on the night just 46 seconds after Morgan Rogers saw a spot-kick saved, but the England international made amends for his penalty miss by putting Villa 3-0 up before the break with his first goal since 7 February. Ezri Konsa’s second goal of the tie wrapped up a convincing win late on.

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