Nottingham Forest were beaten 1-0 by fellow Evangelos Marinakis-owned side Olympiacos in their penultimate friendly of the winter break
The visitors saw plenty of the ball in the opening half hour, and they had a couple of good chances to take the lead, too.
Willy Boly had to make a last-ditch tackle to thwart Pep Biel early on, but Ryan Yates spurned a good opportunity to bag the opener soon after, firing narrowly over from the edge of the area after Morgan Gibbs-White had pulled the ball back.
READ MORE: Re-live the action from the Georgios Karaiskakis Stadium
READ MORE: Cooper names Forest team to face Olympiacos in friendly
Boly then headed a Gibbs-White free-kick straight at goalkeeper Konstantinos Tzolakis. And having dominated possession, the Reds were made to pay for not making it count.
Dean Henderson pulled off a superb save to deny Kostas Fortounis. However, from the resulting corner, former Forest man Pajtim Kasami headed in with 38 minutes gone.
Youssef El Arabi could have immediately doubled the hosts’ lead when he was played through, but he sent his effort over the bar. Serge Aurier, Brennan Johnson and Gibbs-White all then went close to netting an equaliser after the break.
Here’s how Reds reporter Sarah Clapson rated the Forest players at the Georgios Karaiskakis Stadium.
Dean Henderson: Made a fabulous save just before the goal. A shame the corner which came from it led to the opener. Coped well when put under pressure with a couple of short back-passes. Rating: 7/10
Serge Aurier: Made a terrific run in the first half, when Forest countered from an Olympiacos corner. Lots of energy, and looked just as assured as he had before the break. A worry that he seemed to have picked up a knock. Rating: 7/10
Willy Boly: Made a brilliant tackle within the first few minutes, lunging in when Pep Biel was through on goal. Could easily have got on the scoresheet soon after. Rating: 7/10
Scott McKenna: Generally pretty solid. Olympiacos began to cause more problems towards the end of the first half, but the back line had done okay otherwise. Rating: 6.5/10
Renan Lodi: Pushed forward when he could and was involved in some neat link-up play. Wasn’t given too many problems defensively. Rating: 6.5/10
Jack Colback: Midfield trio worked hard to ensure Forest got a foothold in the game in the opening stages. Broke up play well, which provided a useful platform. Rating: 6.5/10
Orel Mangala: He can be a key player in the second half of the campaign, particularly with the news about Cheikhou Kouyate’s injury. Showed his class at times, looking comfortable on the ball and breaking up play. Rating: 7/10
Ryan Yates: It might only be a friendly, but it was a typically all-action display from the midfielder. Wasn’t too far away from opening the scoring in the opening quarter-hour. Rating: 7/10
Jesse Lingard: No doubt a sharp intake of breath from the sidelines and among the visiting fans when he was on the end of a robust challenge in the first half. Didn’t get too many chances to show what he can do. Rating: 6.5/10
Morgan Gibbs-White: Had really found his feet before the season paused, and he was central to much of the Reds’ attacking play in Greece. Forced a good save with a decent shot in the second half. Rating: 7.5/10
Brennan Johnson: Made some promising runs as he looked to use his pace. Wasn’t too far away with a second half strike, but a tricky game to really stamp an influence on. Rating: 6.5/10
Subs
Lewis O’Brien (for Mangala, 46mins): Really bright and was involved in some neat passing moves. Tested the goalkeeper from range with a well-hit effort. Rating: 7/10
Steve Cook (for McKenna, 46mins): Wasn’t tested too much, but some valuable minutes ahead of the return to action. Rating: 6.5/10
Joe Worrall (for Boly, 46mins): A slightly hairy moment with a short back-pass, but otherwise did okay. Rating: 6.5/10
Taiwo Awoniyi (for Lingard, 46mins): Didn’t get too much of a look-in, but tried to use his strength when he could. Rating: 6.5/10
Gustavo Scarpa (for Colback, 60mins): Tough to really judge what he can do. Had some promising moments and seemed confident. Rating: 6.5/10
Harry Toffolo (for Lodi, 60mins): Pretty solid at the back. Looked to keep it simple. Rating: 6.5/10
Emmanuel Dennis (for Johnson, 60mins): Some good moments, although also others where the ball wouldn’t stick. Rating: 6.5/10
Sam Surridge (for Gibbs-White, 82mins): Didn’t really get chance to make an impact. Rating: 6/10
Loic Mbe Soh (for Aurier, 90mins): Brought on as Aurier seemed to have picked up a knock. Rating: 6/10
Not used: Smith, Kanuric, Bade.
Agree with our player ratings? Have your say in the comments below
READ NEXT
