“Bizarre own goal complicates life for FC Porto in the Europa League.”

FC Porto promised a stunning start in the first leg of the UEFA Europa League quarter-finals against Nottingham Forest, but reality turned into a nightmare just 13 minutes in. The Portuguese team was caught off guard by an absolutely unbelievable own goal, which changed the course of the match and left fans in shock. Two minutes after William Gomes opened the scoring with a goal that promised calm, Martim Fernandes made a fatal error that proved costly.

Without any pressure from the opponents, the Portuguese full-back attempted to pass the ball back to goalkeeper Diogo Costa, but the play turned into a true disaster: the ball ended up in the own net, leaving Costa completely powerless to prevent the own goal. The surreal scene occurred at a moment when FC Porto was dominating, and quickly went viral, putting the team in a precarious situation.

To make matters worse, Martim Fernandes was unable to continue on the field, leaving injured in the 19th minute due to an injury to his right ankle. The young full-back was replaced by Alberto Costa, who came on to try to extinguish the flames of a chaotic start to the game for the Dragons.

This own goal earned a draw for Nottingham Forest, who took advantage of the Porto error to revive their chances in the tie. Martim Fernandes’s misfortune was a decisive moment that could affect FC Porto’s quest for the final of the competition.

This dramatic episode was widely discussed on social media and sports broadcasters, particularly during the Sport TV transmission, where there was a huge outpouring of emotion following the own goal and the injury to the full-back. It is a moment that will remain in the memory of Porto fans, who are now hoping for a strong reaction from the team to overcome this adversity.

FC Porto will need to bounce back quickly to prevent this error from compromising a season marked by great ambitions in Europe. The battle against Nottingham Forest is on, and every detail could make a difference in the Dragons’ journey.

This article first appeared on Apito Final.