Nottingham Forest Coach Defends Taiwo Awoniyi After Missing Penalty

Nottingham Forest manager Nuno Espirito Santo has come to the defence of Nigerian forward, Taiwo Awoniyi following his penalty miss in the Carabao Cup clash against Newcastle United on Wednesday, August 28.

Despite Nottingham Forest falling 4-3 on penalties to Newcastle United after a 1-1 draw in regular time, Santo emphasized the importance of supporting Taiwo Awoniyi after his penalty miss.

Awoniyi, who played the entire game, has been working on regaining full fitness after struggling with injuries last season and missing much of the pre-season.

This match marked his first start of the season, and Santo expressed his satisfaction with Awoniyi’s increased playing time following his fitness concerns.

Despite the penalty miss, Santo highlighted Awoniyi’s efforts in the match, acknowledging his hard work and perseverance.

Furthermore, Santo emphasized the need to move forward quickly, as Nottingham Forest have another game on Saturday, expressing his confidence in Awoniyi’s ability to bounce back from the disappointment of the missed penalty.

“It was good. In the end, it was clear he was lacking some energy but he worked very hard until the end,” the coach said after the game.

“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.

“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.”