Nottingham Forest reached their first European semi-final since 1984 as they set up an all-English Europa League last-four meeting with Aston Villa.
Not since the glory days of Brian Clough have Forest performed as well on the continent, where they won back-to-back European Cups and got to the last four of the Uefa Cup in a five-year period.
Now, Vitor Pereira’s current crop are dreaming of writing their own chapter in the club’s storied history after they dispatched 10-man Porto 2-1 on aggregate in the quarter-final.
Morgan Gibbs-White scored the only goal of the game to earn a 1-0 second-leg win on a night where the club rallied around England international Elliot Anderson, whose mother died in the build up to the game.
Forest’s landmark victory, helped by former Southampton defender Jan Bednarek’s early red card, flies in the face of their turbulent season, which has seen them go through four managers.
Their European joy is tempered by their precarious Premier League situation, with relegation still a real possibility heading towards the final stretch of the campaign.
And many will see the crunch clash against Burnley on Sunday as even more important than Thursday’s win against the Portuguese outfit, which was more nervy than it should have been with the visitors twice hitting the woodwork.
Celebrations were dampened as Chris Wood limped off with a knee injury in just his third game back after a six-month lay off, followed in the second half by Callum Hudson-Odoi and Murillo.
Forest were shocked before kick-off by Anderson’s tragic news and they were determined to put in a performance in honour of their team-mate.
They took control of the game in a crucial four-minute period early on.
Bednarek crashed into Wood with a high challenge to his knee that left the striker in agony.
While he was receiving treatment, VAR instructed Dutch referee Danny Makkelle to review the incident on the pitchside monitor, and he subsequently brandished the red card in the eighth minute.
Wood hobbled on and four minutes later Forest were ahead.
Nico Dominguez won the ball and Gibbs-White surged towards goal, with his shot from the edge of the area taking a wicked deflection off Pablo Rosario.
The Forest captain immediately held a shirt aloft in tribute to Anderson, reading ‘Family first, we’re all with you’.
Wood could only carry on for a further five minutes before he was forced to limp off in worrying scenes.
The hosts were in control and searched for a second goal to kill the tie.
Indeed, the chances racked up in the first half.
Wood’s replacement, Igor Jesus, twice headed off target, the second putting a corner over from point-blank range, Murillo whistled an effort just wide of the post and then Dominguez glanced a header past the post.
The start of the second half followed a similar pattern as Neco Williams had a shot blocked and then Jesus shot straight at Diogo Costa after scuffing Ola Aina’s pull-back.
But then Forest had a scare when Porto rattled the woodwork just before the hour as Seko Fofana’s cross found William Gomes at the far post and he looked destined to score, but somehow contrived to hit the crossbar from three yards.
Injuries to Hudson-Odoi and Murillo disjointed Forest and gave Porto a renewed purpose, with Alan Varela thumping another effort into the crossbar with a wicked effort from distance.
It was far harder than it needed to be, but Forest got the job done to register their best European performance in 42 years.
