Awoniyi, Aina’s Forest Miss out of Champions League as Chelsea Pick Fourth Ticket
Duro Ikhazuagbe
Nigerian duo of Taiwo Awoniyi and Ola Aina along with their Nottingham Forest teammates missed out of next season’s UEFA Champions League following
Levi Colwill’s lone-goal winner which clinched Chelsea’s place in Europe’s topmost club competition.
The Blues secured the ticket with a fourth place finish on the last day of the 2024/2025 English Premier season while Forest placed seventh.
While Ola Aina was in action for the better part of the game before he was substituted, Awoniyi was not listed for the final day clash. He’s yet to return to action following the surgery he went through for that fatal collision with goalpost.
Despite missing out of the Champions League, Nottingham Forest who sat in the top four for large parts of the season, it was a good season for them.
They will now play in the Europa Conference League, three years after returning to the top flight after a 23-year absence.
Chelsea’s Levi Colwill’s second-half strike meant Enzo Maresca’s side finished fourth in the Premier League and ended Forest’s own hopes of returning to Europe’s top table.
Chelsea can prepare for the Champions League – a goal which was expected and demanded – with Maresca confirming their transfer targets depended on which competition they are in next season.
The victory also gave Chelsea the perfect platform for Wednesday’s Conference League final against Real Betis in Poland.
RESULTS
Premier League
Bo’mouth 2-0 Leicester
Fulham 0-2 Man City
Ipswich 1-3 West Ham
Liverpool 1-1 Cry’Palace
Man Utd 2-0 Aston Villa
Newcastle 0-1 Everton
N’Forest 0-1 Chelsea
Southampton 1-2 Arsenal
Tottenham 1-4 Brighton
Wolves 1-1 Brentford
NPFL
Bayelsa 3-0 Remo Stars
El Kanemi 1-0 Sunshine
Enyimba 0-1 Plateau
Heartland 2-1 Akwa Utd
Ikorodu 3-2 Abia Warriors
Katsina 1-0 Kwara Utd
Lobi Stars 2-1 B’Insurance
Tornadoes 3-2 K’Pillars
Rivers Utd 2-1 Nasarawa
Shooting 5-1 Rangers
