Chris Wood Fires Nottingham Forest Closer To Europa League Final With Winner Against Aston Villa
Nottingham Forest striker Chris Wood moved the club a step closer to the UEFA Champions League after scoring the winning goal in their 1-0 Europa League semi-final first-leg victory over Aston Villa on Thursday night.
Wood calmly converted a penalty in the second half to hand Forest a slim advantage ahead of next week’s return leg at Villa Park.
The winner of the tie will face either Braga or Freiburg in the final in Istanbul on 20 May. Braga currently lead the other semi-final 2-1.
Last season, Forest narrowly missed out on Champions League qualification after finishing seventh in the Premier League, despite Wood scoring 20 goals.
This season has been difficult for the 34-year-old after spending several months out with a knee injury. However, the experienced forward is now helping Forest dream again.
Forest manager Vitor Pereira previously described Wood as “the final piece of the puzzle”, and the striker showed his importance once again with a composed finish from the spot.
His powerful penalty flew past Emiliano Martínez and marked the 200th goal of his professional career.
Wood had been sidelined since October and underwent surgery in December. He only returned to action this month after missing most of former manager Sean Dyche’s time at the club.
The penalty was awarded after Lucas Digne handled the ball while trying to stop Omari Hutchinson from keeping it in play.
Fans inside the stadium were confident when Wood stepped up because of his excellent record from the spot. The striker had not missed a penalty in 10 years, with his last failure coming for Leeds United against Hull City in 2016.
He has now scored 28 penalties in a row.
Speaking after the game, Wood said the match was decided by small moments.
“That’s my responsibility and I’m happy to help the team,” he said.
“These cup matches are always tight. Small moments can change everything. We’re pleased to have the advantage, but the second leg at Villa Park will be very difficult.”
Wood also scored in Forest’s 5-0 Premier League victory over Sunderland last Friday and now has six goals in 19 appearances for club and country this season.
The New Zealand international admitted he will continue managing his knee problem for the rest of his career, but said he is delighted to be back playing and helping the team during an important stage of the season.
“We still have a lot to fight for,” Wood added. “I worked hard to return fit because these are big competitions and important games. We want to finish the season strongly.”
