Pereira hits out at Midtjylland's early celebrations: "It's only half-time"

Nottingham Forest manager Vítor Pereira has hit back at Midtjylland's exuberant celebrations following their 1-0 Europa League first leg victory, warning the Danish side they are getting ahead of themselves.

After the final whistle, Midtjylland's players spent several minutes celebrating with their travelling fans before continuing the party in the dressing room. Pereira was unimpressed. "They created two chances and scored one goal. It's half-time — Midtjylland are celebrating too early and too much. It's as if they've already finished the tie, but it's not over," he said.

The Portuguese manager had little to fault in his players' effort, pointing to 22 shots as evidence of their dominance. Heavy rain in the second half didn't help either. "In our best period of the match, when we were creating chances, the downpour started and the pitch became really heavy," he said. "But football doesn't want excuses — we look ahead."

Pereira acknowledged the pain of the defeat but urged his squad to stay mentally strong ahead of the second leg on March 19 in Herning. "It's a cruel day, a hard one to accept. But the most important thing now is to keep the spirit up and recover mentally. We move on."

Midtjylland remain unbeaten at home in all competitions — but if Pereira has anything to say about it, the celebrations in Denmark may be premature.

Second leg: March 19, Herning