Nottingham Forest took the three points home after Igor Jesus scored an 88th-minute winner in Stadion Galgenwaard. The dramatic defeat leaves FC Utrecht on one point after six games, making the next round a dream rather than an option.
"Extra sour," Utrecht left-back Souffian El Karouani called the defeat. "Especially with the way you lose the game."
"We had to grow in the game. We weren't really awake for the first ten minutes, but after that, we played a good first half. We weren't as good in the final third, though. We didn't start the second half well - they didn't really get dangerous, but they only needed that one ball to score."
Despite the early goal, El Karouani never lost faith in a result throughout the second half. "You score the 1-1, and the game comes back to life. You go all-in again, but then it still falls their way, and that's a shame."
'Forest were the better team'
With just under 20 minutes to go, FC Utrecht got back alongside Forest through centre-half Mike van der Hoorn. His header from Souffian El Karouani's free kick was Utrecht's tenth goal from a set piece this season, and it didn't come by chance.
"We designed this, yes. Souffian (El Karouani) told me to make a back-post run, and a goal comes from it. That's good."
The loss frustrated Van der Hoorn, too, and for one reason particularly: "As has often been the case lately, we didn't quite finish the job. Forest were the better team."
Making the next round of the UEFA Europa League seems unlikely for Utrecht, Van der Hoorn said.
"I think that has definitely become impossible now. We knew beforehand that it would be difficult and that we had to enjoy these matches. Ultimately, it's a bonus if you advance, but we still have two games left to put ourselves on the map."
