Europa League Matchday 4: Lyon Impresses, Nottingham Forest Gains Momentum

Bassyonni

ago 2 hours

Matchday 4 of the 2025/26 UEFA Europa League featured significant action as teams sought to solidify their positions. Lyon and Nottingham Forest stood out with impressive performances as they aimed to continue their strong starts in the tournament.

Europa League Matchday 4: Lyon Impresses, Nottingham Forest Gains Momentum

Overview of Key Matches

The latest matchday saw a series of early and late kick-offs. Notable fixtures included:

Sturm Graz vs. Nottingham Forest
Real Betis vs. Lyon
Midtjylland vs. Celtic

Sturm Graz vs. Nottingham Forest

Nottingham Forest secured their first European win since 1995 with a 2-0 victory over Porto. Goals from Morgan Gibbs-White and Igor Jesus, both from penalties, led the charge. Coach Sean Dyche expressed satisfaction with the team’s effective style of play.

In contrast, Sturm Graz faced a narrow defeat by Celtic. Coach Jürgen Säumel acknowledged a “courageous performance,” emphasizing the importance of fine details at this competitive level.

Historically, Nottingham Forest previously eliminated Sturm Graz in the quarter-finals of the 1983/84 UEFA Cup.

Real Betis vs. Lyon

Lyon continued their flawless performance, remaining unbeaten after a 2-0 win against Basel. The victory marks a solid start, with Lyon yet to concede in the tournament. Real Betis, however, struggled and could only manage a goalless draw against Genk previously, prompting coach Manuel Pellegrini to call for renewed attacking creativity.

The last time these two teams met, Lyon narrowly defeated Real Betis 1-0 in a 2013 group stage match of the same competition.

Midtjylland vs. Celtic

Midtjylland currently leads the league phase with three consecutive wins and eight goals scored, the highest in the tournament. Defender Martin Erlić urged the team to maintain this momentum. Meanwhile, Celtic, under interim coaches Martin O’Neill and Shaun Maloney, aims to build on their recent victory over Sturm Graz.

Interestingly, Celtic goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel has a perfect record at Arena Herning, with all three Denmark appearances resulting in clean sheets.

Rangers vs. Roma

In a battle of struggling teams, Rangers and Roma met at Ibrox Stadium. Both sides were looking to revive their fortunes after disappointing results. Rangers faced a heavy 3-0 loss to Brann, while Roma was edged out 2-1 by Viktoria Plzeň.

Roma has been notable for its defensive performance, successfully recovering 148 balls this season, ranking them among leaders for possession.

Other Highlights

Teams like Lille, Porto, and Aston Villa aimed to rebound after experiencing setbacks in their previous matches. Braga remained competitive with a perfect record, preparing to host Genk after a 2-0 win over Crvena Zvezda. Lastly, Feyenoord sought to capitalize on their recent victory as they traveled to Stuttgart.

As the tournament progresses, teams will look to build momentum and solidify their standings in the 2025/26 UEFA Europa League.