Nottingham and Braga are on the cusp of the Europa League final

Nottingham Forest of England and Sporting Braga of Portugal have taken a step towards qualifying for the final of the European Football League.
Nottingham defeated its guest and compatriot Aston Villa with an unanswered goal in the first leg of the semi-finals of the continental competition, which also witnessed Sporting Braga defeating German club Freiburg with a score of 2-1.
New Zealander Chris Wood played the starring role in the match between Nottingham and Aston Villa, after scoring the only goal of the match for the hosts in the 71st minute from a penalty kick.
In the other match, which was held at the Municipal Stadium of Braga, the Portuguese team took an early lead in the eighth minute through Turkish Demir Ece Teknaz, before Italian Vicenzo Grifo equalized for Freiburg in the 16th minute.
In the second half, Ivorian Mario Dorgelis scored the winning goal for Braga in the second minute of stoppage time for the match, compensating for the penalty kick missed by his Uruguayan colleague Rodrigo Zalazar in the second minute of stoppage time for the first half.
Nottingham and Braga now need only a draw in the second leg, which will be held outside their stadiums next Thursday, in order to advance to the final match.
It is noteworthy that the winner of Nottingham and Aston Villa will meet the winner of Sporting Braga and Freiburg in the final match of the tournament, which will be held at the Besiktas Arena in Istanbul, Turkey, on May 20.