‘I cannot believe my eyes’ – Nottingham Forest fans stunned at what Vitor Pereira did vs Fenerbahce
Nottingham Forest cruised to a 3-0 victory over Fenerbahce in the first leg of the Europa League knockout playoffs on Thursday.
The match was Vitor Pereira’s first as Forest manager after taking over from Sean Dyche, and he has all but secured the Reds’ place in the round of 16.
As a result, despite the contrasting opinions regarding his appointment at the City Ground, he now appears to have won many Forest fans after he guided them to a superb win over the Turkish side.
Taking a 3-0 lead back to the City Ground. 💪 pic.twitter.com/8PyyjR3WpR
— Nottingham Forest (@NFFC) February 19, 2026
Nottingham Forest fans are already falling in love with Vitor Pereira
The appointment of Pereira was certainly an odd one at the time.
The manager had an awful time at Wolves at the start of the season, guiding them to just two points and essentially condemning them to relegation in November.
While he did oversee a promising end to the 2024-25 campaign at Molineux, much of that work and credibility was completely undone by the end of 2026.
As a result, while Dyche had lost the fanbase upon his sacking, bringing in Pereira was viewed with more pessimism than optimism when his arrival at Forest was confirmed last week.
However, the manager quickly proved any doubters wrong, as he pulled off a wonderful result against Fenerbahce in the Europa League, much to the delight of the Forest fanbase.
Pereira getting a tune out of lads play to their strengths #nffc
— Wayne (@wayne1982164) February 19, 2026
I CANNOT believe my eyes
— Jeremy Nick (@nffc_jezza) February 19, 2026
We are comfortably 3-0 up away from home
And we are STILL PUSHING FOR MORE🤣
Hats off, Vitor Pereira🤤 #nffc
I was unsure when Vitor Pereira’s name was mentioned.
— Tom Purcell (@tomopurcell) February 19, 2026
I was wrong.
YOU REDSSSSSS!!!#nffc
— It’s not Finn (@ItsnotFinn1) February 19, 2026
Others took the opportunity to take aim at Dyche, with Pereira showcasing that Forest are able to play attacking football and win games.
Great stuff lads and well done Vítor Pereira, look Dyche maybe these players can play good football #nffc
— Wayne Cooper (@waynecoops1981) February 19, 2026
Vitor Pereira you’ve made me love football all over again
— David (@Rads_NFFC) February 19, 2026
I don’t know how much credit we can genuinely give to Vitor Pereira for this but if nothing else, it shows what this group can achieve with the rigid shackles removed. #nffc
— Jonathan Hill (@Jonathan__Hill) February 19, 2026
What were Nottingham Forest’s stats vs Fenerbahce?
Against Fenerbahce, Forest were completely dominant in terms of the stats.
The Reds had 23 shots and seven on target, compared to the Turkish side’s six and two on target.
Forest also had an astonishing 33 in the opposition’s box and won 10 corners, compared to Fenerbahce’s five and three.
While Fenerbahce did have more possession at 56.7 per cent, it mattered little, with the Turkish outfit proving to be incapable of stopping Forest’s dominance.
If Pereira is able to achieve such attacking excellence consistently, Forest will quickly move away from the drop zone in the Premier League and could go far in the Europa League this season.
However, only time will tell if they are able to achieve this, with there still being a long time to go between now and the end of the campaign.