Vitor Pereira praises Forest's grit after penalty drama in Denmark

Forest went into the second leg in Denmark trailing 1-0 from the first leg at the City Ground. 

Nicolas Dominguez gave Forest a first-half lead with a precise header, and captain Ryan Yates added a stunning strike to put them ahead 2-1 on aggregate. Martin Erlic's goal for Midtjylland sent the tie into extra time, but Forest held their nerve in the shoot-out.

Midtjylland missed twice, hitting the post, while Edward Chilufya skyed his penalty. Forest's Morgan Gibbs-White, Ibrahim Sangare, and Neco Williams scored to make it 3-0 on penalties.

Pereira made nine changes ahead of Sunday's crucial Premier League clash with Tottenham Hotspur but insisted the performance showed the squad's quality.

"We are very happy and we proved we came here to compete," Pereira said. "We have good players, talented players. We played fantastic in the first half. The boys deserved it because they are a fantastic group, with team spirit and character. Today we showed everything."

Yates, who has had limited starts this season, said the victory highlighted Forest's togetherness.

"I'm buzzing we're through," Yates said. "Penalties are always nervy, but the lads stepped up. Considering the changes, it shows the strength in depth we have. A lot of lads played today who haven't had many minutes and they took their opportunities.

"This winning feeling is special, and we need to carry that momentum into the next games."

Forest's next Premier League match is away at Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday, with Pereira hoping to balance energy and focus after a hard-fought European night.