It’s hard to imagine things could get any worse for Nottingham Forest on Thursday night.
They completed an unholy trifecta of own goals, missed penalties and red cards when they were beaten in Braga.
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Sean Dyche’s side started tonight hoping to finish in the top eight of the Europa League and automatically qualify for the last 16, but their hopes were all but dashed.
Even a win over Ferencvaros in the final round of the league is unlikely to allow them to advance to the last 16 via a two-leg play-off round.
As bad as the result was, the fact that the visiting fans booed them at half-time and full-time suggested that the team’s performance was just as bad.
Had Morgan Gibbs-White converted a penalty in the 53rd minute, the outcome might have at least been different.
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But the midfielder’s shot was saved – and 55 seconds later Ryan Yates’ own goal put Braga ahead.
Dyche told TNT Sports: “There was a moment of madness in the game but we never looked like we were in trouble.”
“We missed a penalty – that can happen. The reaction in the next minute or so… we lost the game because of a bad goal.
“They hitched a ride and the crowd went crazy and we kind of stopped and it was an unfortunate situation for Yetsi. Very frustrating.”
Braga winning the game without a single shot on target – becoming just the second team in Europa League history to do so – only added to Forest’s frustration.
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However, although Bulaga hit the post at 1-0, he may not have made a huge contribution in the attack, but Forest was no better for most of the game.
“The perfect summary is that it’s a mess.”
Dyche made seven changes from Saturday’s 0-0 Premier League draw with leaders Arsenal. The last time he transformed a team so drastically was against Wrexham in the FA Cup.
The Forest boss had harsh words for his new arrivals after exiting the game that night, but this time he was more lenient.
“There’s effort there, but at the forefront… we want more,” he added.
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“We are in a strange situation where I have to protect certain players. We know the Premier League is very important but we want to do well in this competition and we still do that.
“It’s a fine line, it’s a juggling act. On one hand you want to protect some players and give everyone a chance.”
Yates felt it was a bit difficult for Forest to lose, with the visitors “controlling most of the game”.
“We’re frustrated because I thought we did enough to win the game,” he told TNT Sports.
“We missed an opportunity. It’s not that we were bad, but we could definitely do better. We have to move forward quickly.”
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Former Manchester City defender Joleon Lescott had a slightly different take, highlighting the extra blow of Elliot Anderson’s late sending off.
“The perfect summary is it’s a mess,” he told TNT Sports. “Overall, it’s not good enough.
“The bottom line is, when you have a big game next week, losing a character like Anderson is devastating.
“You often look at games and wonder if there are any positives. I didn’t think there were any positives tonight.
“A bad night, it should have been a great night but it was a poor performance.”
Anderson will miss next week’s final group game and Forest hope the ban is not extended to include a potential play-off tie in February.
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At such a busy stage of the season, these extra games could be a problem for Forest as they chase Premier League survival – and going into these games without their star midfielder will further increase the pressure on the team.
Ultimately, Forest will feel this is a situation they could have avoided.
“You might get a draw, but you shouldn’t really lose that game,” Dyche said.
But in the “Crazy Minute,” they did lose.
