Brighton, Mar 30 (UNI) Nottingham Forest won a third straight FA Cup penalty shootout to beat Brighton and reach the semi-finals for the first time in 34 years.
Goalkeeper Matz Sels was the hero for the visitors, saving Jack Hinshelwood and Diego Gomez’s spot-kicks as Forest won the shootout 4-3 after the match had finished goalless, the BBC reported.
In a drab tie that lacked quality throughout, there was nothing to separate the two teams after 120 minutes at Amex Stadium.
Brighton had looked the likelier side to snatch a winner late on – and Sels made a superb save to keep out a bullet header from Gomez in extra time.
Joao Pedro then thought he had won it at the death for the hosts after bundling in Pervis Estupinan’s delivery, but the goal was ruled out for offside and the match went to a shootout.
After two big saves from Sels, it was Forest captain Ryan Yates who stepped up to fire the club into their first FA Cup semi-final since 1991.
Forest, who beat Exeter City and Ipswich on penalties in the previous rounds, will discover their opponents when the draw takes place on Sunday.
Forest have made penalty shootouts a habit during this FA Cup run, and it has become the norm that Sels will see them through.
The Belgium keeper has been integral to Forest’s superb Premier League campaign, and he has kept their hopes of a first FA Cup win since 1959 alive.
Penalties had almost seemed inevitable from the first half on Saturday, with neither team able to fashion any meaningful chances.
Forest felt the effects of Chris Wood’s absence, with the club’s top scorer missing after picking up a hip injury while on international duty with New Zealand.
Nuno Espirito Santo’s side had been awarded a spot-kick in the 64th minute, when Kaoru Mitoma was judged by referee Peter Banks to have brought down Elliot Anderson in the area.
However, the Video Assistant Referee intervened and Banks reviewed the incident before confirming, through the Amex sound system, that no foul had been committed – much to the delight of the home crowd.
Nuno and the Forest bench were less impressed, furiously protesting the decision with the fourth official.
But the whole team sprinted to the opposite end of the pitch as Yates’ penalty hit the back of the net more than an hour later to celebrate in front of their ecstatic travelling fans.
