ISTANBUL: Vitor Pereira made a dream start as Nottingham Forest boss with a 3-0 win over Fenerbahce in the first leg of the Europa League play-offs, while VfB Stuttgart thrashed Celtic 4-1 to ruin Martin O’Neill’s 1,000th match as a manager on Thursday.

Forest’s newly appointed head coach Pereira said he had encouraged his players to express themselves at Fenerbahce and they responded in style with a victory that marked their biggest away win in European competition.

The comfortable win was the perfect start for Pereira, who took the helm last weekend following the departure of Sean Dyche.

Goals from Murillo, Igor Jesus and Morgan Gibbs-White secured the win but the scoreline could have been even more emphatic.

“We had chance to score two more goals. It was a very good result,” Portug­uese Pereira told TNT Sports. “It is only halftime, we need to be consistent, the schedule is tight and difficult.”

Pereira is Forest’s fourth managerial appointment this season after Nuno Espirito Santo, Ange Postecoglou and Dyche, and the 57-year-old arrives with the side just three points above the Premier League relegation zone.

“Everyone must be ready to help the team. This is what I ask them,” said Pereira. “I realised before I came that the players have a lot of quality. They need results but they need to enjoy the game.

“If they enjoy the way they are playing they can have a high level. They need organisation and confidence. I asked them to express themselves on the pitch. They did it.”

Forest host Liverpool in the league on Sunday before Fenerbahce arrive for the second leg of their Europa League tie on Feb 26.

Murillo held off two challenges before lashing a superb low strike past Ederson into the far corner from 25 yards.

Forest struck again in the 43rd minute.

Gibbs-White flicked on Elliot Ande­rson’s corner and Jesus pounced to head in from virtually on the goal-line.

Gibbs-White notched Forest’s third in the 50th minute, slotting home from Jesus’ pass.

In Glasgow, Celtic goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel made a pair of costly mistakes to leave O’Neill with few fond memories of his landmark 1,000th match.

The 73-year-old, who led Celtic to seven trophies from 2000 to 2005, was beaten for just the second time in 19 games over two stints as interim boss this season.

Stuttgart went in front after 15 minutes with a goal gift-wrapped by Schmeichel.

His weak clearance was worked into Bilal El Khannouss, whose tame shot should have been saved but somehow eluded the hapless Dane.

Celtic were presented with an equally farcical equaliser in the 21st minute.

Stuttgart’s keeper Alexander Nuebel’s woeful pass put Atakan Karazor in trouble and his panicked ball hit Benjamin Nygren, who tapped into the empty net.

El Khannouss, on loan from Leicester, restored Stuttgart’s advantage with a close-range header in the 28th minute.

Schmeichel’s miserable evening got even worse in the 57th minute when Jamie Leweling’s strike from the edge of the area squirmed past his attempted save.

Tiago Tomas netted in stoppage-time to add to O’Neill’s misery.

Celtic have not advanced from a knockout European tie since 2004 and Stutt­gart’s first leg stroll leaves the Scottish champions facing a mammoth task to end that dismal run.

“It’s a tough evening for us. We were masters of our own downfall in many respects, conceded some poor goals,” O’Neill said. “I will think about all sorts of things, but Kasper has done really well since I’ve arrived at the club.”

Criticising a fan protest against Celtic’s owners that disrupted the opening minute of the game, O’Neill added: “Anyone who thinks that is a good idea needs their head examined.”

In Thursday’s other early first leg ties, Viktoria Plzen, the only unbeaten team in the league phase, remained without a defeat after a late equaliser earned a 2-2 draw against Panathinaikos in Athens.

In Thessaloniki, PAOK was beaten 2-1 by Celta Vigo on goals from Iago Aspas and Williot Swedberg in a rematch of the Greek side’s 3-1 loss to the Spanish team in the league phase.

Zakaria El Ouahdi scored twice and Bryan Heynen added one for visiting Genk in a 3-1 victory against Dinamo in Zagreb.

Lille was stunned 1-0 at home by Red Star Belgrade and Ludogorets beat Ferencvaros 2-1.

In Norway, Argentine forward Santiago Castro scored the winner for Bologna from a tight angle to secure a 1-0 victory over Brann.

Like in the Champions League, the top eight finishers in the league phase advanced automatically to the last 16. The teams placed from nine to 24 entered a two-leg playoff.

The second leg is scheduled for next Thursday.

In the third-tier Conference League, Crystal Palace had to settle for a 1-1 draw away at Zrinjski Mostar in Bosnia. Ismaïla Sarr gave the Premier League side a 1-0 lead but Karlo Abramovic salvaged a draw for the Bosnian champion.

Another favorite, Fiorentina — a two-time finalist — took home a 3-0 victory from Poland against Jagiellonia Bialystok.

Published in Dawn, February 21st, 2026