Nottingham Forest qualified for the semifinals of the UEFA Europa League on Thursday night, following a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Porto at the City Ground.

Morgan Gibbs-White scored the game-winning goal in the 12th minute when he unleashed a right-footed strike from just outside the box that took a slight deflection off Pablo Rosario and spun past the stranded Diogo Costa.

Super Eagles right-back Ola Aina helped Nottingham Forest qualify for their first European semifinal since 1984, going the distance in the win over the Portuguese giants.

Although the Premier League side were made to work for their progression, Aina admitted that the win was all that mattered.

Speaking to Forest TV post-match, he said: "We never made it easy for ourselves, but I cannot complain. We’re into the semifinals of the Europa League, so I’m happy with it."

Reflecting on the achievement, the defender described the moment as particularly rewarding given the club's turbulent campaign.

"It feels amazing after the season we’ve been having. Sometimes these rewards feel phenomenal, so I’m just happy to get into a semi-final with these boys, this club. Everybody deserves it."

Forest's journey to the last four has come despite significant managerial changes, with four different head coaches — Nuno Espírito Santo, Ange Postecoglou, Sean Dyche and Vítor Pereira — taking charge at various points during the season.

Aina believes the squad’s resilience and quality have been key to overcoming that instability.

"Yes, definitely. The character of the boys, and the quality as well, to be honest. We have the quality to do these types of things, so it’s definitely a testament to ourselves and the club."

Nottingham Forest appeared comfortable in the first half, but the game became more complicated after Jan Bednarek was sent off, leading to a disjointed second-half display.

"There was a bit of confusion. Some of us wanted to settle the play, some wanted to get more goals, so it was just a bit of confusion. But the core thing was to work hard and sort it out — and that’s what we did," Aina explained.

Attention now turns to domestic matters, with a crucial Premier League clash against Burnley on Sunday. 

"The rest of the games are must-wins. Sunday, we are going in with full focus, and we’ll play just as tough and hard as we did tonight."

Forest’s European journey continues with a semi-final tie against Aston Villa, a prospect Aina acknowledges will provide a stern test.

"At the beginning of the season, these are the sort of games you want to play in, so we have to soak everything up and try our best. It will be a tough game against Aston Villa, we already know how good they are. But for now, it’s about the next match on Sunday.”

The defender also reserved praise for the Forest supporters, whose backing proved instrumental against Porto.

"That’s all we ask for, just to make noise, keep encouraging us and keep pushing us forward to do our best for the club."

Despite the challenges faced throughout the campaign, Aina insists there remains everything to play for as the season enters its decisive phase.

“We are a group of players who aspire to achieve things, so hopefully we can keep pushing on and you never know where we’ll end up.

"We are a bunch of guys that aspire to achieve things so hopefully we can keep pushing on and you never know where we'll end up," he concluded.

After recovering from a hamstring injury that sidelined him for three months, Aina has gone on to feature in seven Europa League matches this season, registering one assist.

Ifeanyi Emmanuel