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In what they hoped could be a fairytale of a campaign, it just wasn’t meant to be, as Exeter City’s FA Cup dreams were shattered as they lost to Nottingham Forest in a penalty shootout late night on Tuesday, following a thrilling 2-2 draw after extra time. Despite being reduced to 10 men for over half an hour, Exeter pushed the Premier League high-flyers to the limit.
The hosts made a blistering start, with Josh Magennis scoring inside 10 minutes to send the crowd into frenzy. A goal that came after immense pressure from Exeter, who forced Forest into a mistake that Magennis capitalized on. The atmosphere at St James Park was electric, with thousands of fans braving the chilly night to cheer on their team.
However, Nottingham Forest settled into the game and equalized through Ramon Sosa. The Premier League side began to press high up the pitch, forcing Exeter into making mistakes. Nigerian Striker, Taiwo Awoniyi then scored a stunning 20-yard effort to put Forest ahead for the first time on the night as they continued to control much of the first half.
Exeter refused to give up and levelled the score within five minutes of the second half, thanks to Magennis’ second goal of the evening. The hosts’ equalizer sparked rare confidence as expected, but Forest regained control of the match, and their quality was evident in play. Despite Exeter’s efforts, they couldn’t find a way through Forest’s resolute defense.
The match took a dramatic turn when Exeter debutant Ed Turns was sent off following a high challenge on Nottingham Forest star Morgan Gibbs-White. The red card reduced Exeter to 10 men with over half an hour still to play, and they were forced to dig deep to prevent Forest from scoring.
A collision between Exeter goalkeeper Joe Whitworth and Nottingham forward Taiwo Awoniyi forced a stoppage of approximately 10 minutes as medical teams attended to the players. The delay added to the drama of the match, which was heading for a heated but exciting conclusion.
With just minutes remaining, both teams came agonizingly close to scoring. Nottingham rattled the post in the dying moments, and the match went to extra-time. Exeter’s goalkeeper Joe Whitworth made several crucial saves to deny Forest in extra-time, and eventually neither side could find a breakthrough.
The match ultimately went to a penalty shootout, which Nottingham Forest won 4-2. With defeat signalling the end of Exeter’s FA Cup journey, as they can take pride in their courageous performance against a team 60 places above them in the English football pyramid.
Forest almost cost people ticket