Igor Jesus scored his seventh goal for Nottingham Forest
At a glance
Igor Jesus scores late winner for Forest 82 seconds after coming on
Arnaud Kalimuendo's second successive Europa League gave them lead
Mike van der Hoorn's header had looked to have earned hosts a point
Win means Forest have 11 points from six games
Substitute Igor Jesus scored late on as Nottingham Forest boosted their hopes of progressing automatically to the Europa League knockout phase with victory at Utrecht.
The striker grabbed the winner just 82 seconds after coming off the bench, slotting in after Dan Ndoye's header had been parried towards him.
Arnaud Kalimuendo had given Forest the lead early in the second half when he slotted in after an attempted clearance bounced off him and the ball fell favourably for the finish.
Forest were dominant after that and looked to be heading towards a comfortable win, but former Swansea defender Mike van der Hoorn headed in an equaliser from a free-kick.
That buoyed the home crowd and the hosts looked most likely to snatch a winner, with Forest leaving gaps as they pushed forward in search of a second goal.
That duly arrived with two minutes remaining as Igor Jesus secured Forest's third win in six games in Europe.
Defeat for Utrecht means they are without a win in Europe this season after six games.
Landmark result as Forest stay on course
This was a significant moment for Nottingham Forest as they recorded a first away win in Europe since 1995.
But they certainly made hard work of it against a side that had managed just one point from five games in the Europa League this season.
Forest had made a dominant start with eight attempts on goal in the first 20 minutes and deservedly took the lead early in the second half.
But they will be frustrated with the equaliser as they switched off at the crucial time to allow Van der Hoorn a free header.
That was the first time Forest had conceded in Europe under Sean Dyche and for a spell they looked in danger of conceding a second.
But Dyche's decision to send on Igor Jesus late on proved pivotal as he finished with pretty much his first attempt on goal.
The win means Forest are well placed to finish in the top eight - the positions that qualify automatically for the knockouts - with two league phase games remaining.
What next for Forest?
Nottingham Forest are next in action when they host Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League on Sunday, 14 December (14:00 GMT).
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