Super Eagles stars Ola Aina and Taiwo Awoniyi have missed out on a place in next season’s UEFA Champions League following a narrow 1-0 defeat to Chelsea at the City Ground in their final game of the season.
Nottingham Forest needed a win on Sunday to stand a chance of finishing among the top five English teams in the 2024/25 season and securing a Champions League spot.
In addition to beating Chelsea, they were also banking on defeats for both Newcastle United and Aston Villa in their respective fixtures against Everton and Manchester United — a scenario that did play out. Unfortunately, Forest failed to deliver on their end of the equation.
Chelsea clinched fourth place with 69 points, while Newcastle secured the fifth and final Champions League spot with 66 points. Had Forest defeated Chelsea, they would have finished with 68 points — enough to leapfrog Newcastle into fifth.
More Read
It marks a disappointing end to an otherwise impressive campaign for Aina and Forest, who enjoyed one of their strongest seasons in recent history. The team spent a considerable part of the season in the Premier League’s top four before a late dip in form saw them slide down the table.
As it stands, Nottingham Forest will have to settle for a spot in the UEFA Conference League, with Aston Villa and Crystal Palace claiming England’s Europa League slots.
© Bold Media Innovations & Creative Hub Limited. All rights reserved. If sharing, kindly credit Bold Sports as the source and include a link to the original post. Unauthorised use is prohibited.
