“Forest’s Pre-Season Triumph: Set-Piece Brilliance and Sangare’s Comeback Spark Excitement for Premier League Opener”
Nottingham Forest wrapped up their pre-season with an exciting 4-3 win over Olympiacos on Thursday night, as the Premier League season draws near.
Forest took a 4-1 lead with goals from Ryan Yates (twice), Chris Wood, and Anthony Elanga, but two late strikes from Olympiacos closed the gap.
The key difference between the two teams was set pieces, with three of Forest’s goals coming from dead ball situations, largely thanks to summer signing Elliot Anderson. In contrast, Forest successfully defended against similar opportunities from Olympiacos, a promising sign for the upcoming season.
Set pieces are often decisive in Premier League matches, and Forest’s well-executed routines led to Yates scoring twice and Wood taking advantage of a goalkeeping error. The team’s clinical finishing from set-pieces bodes well for their opening game against Bournemouth.
Ibrahim Sangare’s performance was another highlight. After a challenging 2023/24 season marked by injuries, the £30 million Ivorian showed his potential in pre-season, particularly against Olympiacos, where he was pivotal in both defense and attack. Although he had a brief injury scare, he recovered quickly and played for just over an hour, suggesting he is ready to start against Bournemouth.
With pre-season now complete, Forest will have a few more training sessions under Nuno before they face Bournemouth. The new Premier League season is just around the corner, and the team is ready to see what it will bring.