Nottingham Forest's Europa League campaign was kept alive thanks to one of the strangest own goals in recent memory from Porto defender Martim Fernandes. 

A much-changed Forest side, who made no apology for the fact they are prioritising Sunday's crucial Premier League game against Aston Villa, struggled in the early stages in Portugal as Porto swarmed all over them, taking the lead deservedly 11 minutes in through William Gomes.

While Forest heads were still spinning, Fernandes, under absolutely no pressure, attempted a pass back to his goalkeeper, only to drill it way beyond him and into the back of the net. 

Fernandes was in disbelief and six minutes later his nightmare evening was brought to a premature end through injury as he limped away, trying to hold back tears.  

Porto dominated, desperate to maintain their 100 per cent record at home in this competition this season and it spoke volumes that Forest's best player on the night was goalkeeper Stefan Ortega. 

But it was Fernandes' gift that was the story of the night; the get-out-of-jail-free card that Forest could barely believe was given to them and one that gives them every chance of reaching their first European semi-final since 1983-84. 

Here was the Nottingham Forest balancing act on full display.

How do you balance a relegation battle with a European campaign? The next six weeks offer the opportunity of everything from Championship to Champions League football. It’s certainly delicate.

Vitor Pereira’s answer was to shuffle his pack, already down star midfielder Elliot Anderson through suspension, with nine changes.

This rotated XI were told to go toe-to-toe with a Porto side that has lost just three times in 31 games since losing to Forest at the City Ground in the league phase. It was certainly cavalier. Others would say kamikaze.

Forest were brave to play - and persist with when it wasn’t working - with a back three. They were brave to start without Europa League joint-top scorer Igor Jesus. They were brave to make nine changes with an eye on Sunday’s clash with Aston Villa. And they certainly were brave to lean on wing-backs so unfamiliar with the role in Dan Ndoye and Dilane Bakwa.

That bravery looked foolish 11 minutes in when Forest were carved open for William Gomes to tap in Gabriel Veiga's cross at the back post.

Only within two minutes came the gift, wrapped up in spectacular fashion by Fernandes firing into his own net.

But fortune favours the brave and Forest improved as this game wore on and thought they’d won it through Jesus when the Brazilian challenged Porto goalkeeper Diogo Costa for a loose ball, beating him to it and rifling in to the roof of the net.

First VAR intervened to look for a foul - there wasn’t one. Then it searched to see if there was a handball, to which they controversially decided there was.

And so it finished level, all down to a winner-takes-all clash in Nottingham next week.

With optimism of a first European semi-final in 42 years only escalating after this, just how much braver will Pereira be willing to be to get there?