Yahoo News Taiwo Awoniyi admission made after Nottingham Forest striker misses penalty in cup defeat
Nottingham Forest will get behind striker Taiwo Awoniyi after his penalty miss against Newcastle United in the Carabao Cup.
Head coach Nuno Espirito Santo admits the forward’s confidence is bound to have taken a knock after he failed to find the target in the shootout at the City Ground. But getting 90 minutes under his belt before that will have been a positive for Awoniyi as he continues to build up his fitness after missing most of pre-season.
Ibrahim Sangare also failed to score from 12 yards as the Reds lost 4-3 on penalties in the second round tie, which had finished 1-1 after regulation time. But the hosts could still reflect on plenty of positives, having responded well to falling behind after 18 seconds and eventually equalising through Jota Silva.
READ MORE: How the Reds players rated against the Magpies
READ MORE: How the cup action unfolded at the City Ground
For Jota, it was quite the way to mark his first start in the Garibaldi. Fellow summer signings Carlos Miguel, Eric da Silva Moreira, Alex Moreno and Ramon Sosa had also been included in the starting XI for their debuts.
After the match, Nuno discussed the game, the impact made by Forest’s summer signings and what he expects from the final days of the transfer window. Below is a look at what the Portuguese had to say.
On the match…
“We played a good game. Overall, the performance was positive.
“We started very badly and the way we conceded was a setback, but the reaction was good. For large spells against a good Newcastle side we had good control of the game. We dominated and created, even though we didn’t finish too well.
“We suffered in the last 10 minutes and had problems. But then we went to penalties and anything can happen.
“We have practised penalties a lot. I’m proud of the work of the players.
“We had a lot of players making their debuts. It was positive.”
On the debutants…
“We have always said that when we bring players in it is because we believe they can help. They proved today that they have been working very hard since day one.
“We wish we could give them more chances than we have actually given them, but it is not always possible. But it is good. They are good headaches to have.”
On goalkeeper Miguel’s performance…
“He had a good game overall. It is not easy for him, changing country. But he is settling down really well.
“It was a good performance. He saved one penalty. Overall, he did OK.”
On Awoniyi playing 90 minutes…
“It was good. In the end it was clear he was lacking some energy but he worked very hard until the end.
“He had two or three good chances to finish. We want to give Taiwo this opportunity to raise his levels of fitness because the talent is there.”
On whether the penalty miss will affect Awoniyi’s confidence…
“Always. You cannot ignore the (penalty) moment for all of us, especially for the player involved in that situation. But we are here to support him and we don’t have too much time for sorrow because we go again on Saturday.”
On the final days of the transfer window…
“Until the end of the window we are going to be alert. If it is possible, yes, I think we still need a couple of options.
“We’ve been linked to so many players - it is crazy. Many of them are not true. But we need options, I think.
“We still have two days to go and we are working. Hopefully we can bring (signings in).”
