The Europa League semi-finals are confirmed, headlined by an all-English clash between Nottingham Forest and Aston Villa. Forest secured their place with a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Porto at the City Ground on Thursday, while Villa demolished Bologna 4-0 to advance 7-1 on aggregate. The two English clubs will meet over two legs on 30 April and 7 May, with the final scheduled for 20 May at Besiktas Stadium in Istanbul.
Forest's win was charged with emotion from the outset. Porto defender Jan Bednarek was sent off after just eight minutes for a reckless challenge, and captain Morgan Gibbs-White made the most of the numerical advantage four minutes later, tucking home a deflected strike. Gibbs-White then held up the shirt of Elliot Anderson, a late withdrawal from the squad following the death of his mother. Despite being reduced to ten men, Porto remained dangerous — William Gomes struck the woodwork — but Forest held firm to complete a 2-1 aggregate win. Aston Villa, meanwhile, were never troubled by Bologna, a side based in northern Italy. Ollie Watkins, Emiliano Buendia, and Morgan Rogers put the hosts three goals up by half-time, with Ezri Konsa completing the rout late on.
The other semi-final will pit Germany's SC Freiburg against Braga, the Portuguese club from the northern city of the same name. Freiburg, who reached their first-ever European semi-final, had little difficulty dispatching Celta Vigo 3-1 in Spain to complete a 6-1 aggregate win, with Igor Matanovic opening the scoring and Yuito Suzuki netting twice. Braga's passage was far more dramatic. Playing in Seville against Real Betis, the Portuguese side found themselves 2-0 down following goals from former Manchester United winger Antony and Abde Ezzalzouli. A collision between two Betis defenders allowed Pau Victor to pull one back before the break, and the second half brought a stunning turnaround. Braga scored three times in the opening fifteen minutes of the half, and Jean-Baptiste Gorby sealed the 4-2 win with a composed volley from the edge of the area, sending Braga through 5-3 on aggregate.
The Betis collapse — described by Spanish commentators as one of the club's worst European nights — was compounded by poor goalkeeping and defensive errors throughout. For Braga, though, the achievement is significant: a club rarely considered among Europe's elite has earned a place in the last four of a major UEFA competition. Why this matters: the Europa League semi-finals now offer a genuine mix of stories — English domestic rivalry, German surprise, and Portuguese resilience — ahead of what promises to be a compelling finish to the tournament in Istanbul next month.