Nottingham Forest beat Exeter on penalties to reach FA Cup 5th round | OneFootball

Scorers: Magennis 5', 50' ; Sosa 15', Awoniyi 37'

Nottingham Forest survived a massive shock as they edged past 10 man Exeter City on penalties to set up a fifth round tie with Ipswich Town.

The hosts shot into a shock early lead with their first effort of the game, after stand-in Forest goalkeeper Carlos Miguel spilled an effort into the path of Josh Magennis, who gleefully pounced to put his side ahead.

But Forest were firmly on top from that point, and after Harper cleared an effort off the line Ramon Sosa brought his side level with a poked finish after beating two Exeter defenders.

And after a couple of strong saves from goalkeeper Joe Whitworth, Forest hit the front 10 minutes from half time as Taiwo Awoniyi spun on the edge of the penalty area before curling into the bottom corner past the Exeter no.1 to hand his side the lead heading into the interval.

But it was Deja vu minutes into the second half as another scramble inside the Forest box saw Magennis fire off another effort on goal, which was turned home by the unfortunate Wily Boly to level the tie once more.

Encouraged, Exeter pressed on as Forest threw on their experienced players and though they dominated the ball, they could not find a way through the stubborn League One side as they sniffed out a major upset.

Three minutes from time, the hosts were reduced to 10 men as Ed Turns saw red for a high challenge on Morgan Gibbs-White.

The game was stopped for a long period as Taiwo Awoniyi required significant treatment for a head injury in added time, but both sides squandered chances to win the tie as Jota Silva struck the post and Pat Jones fired just wide, leaving the two sides heading for extra time.

Still the hosts held firm as they kept Forest at bay, with the fans roaring on every counter-attack as they asked their side for a herculean effort.

Joe Whitworth once again kept out Forest as Chris Wood powered a header towards goal from a corner, before another Forest effort was cleared off the line.as the Grecians clung on for penalties.

But that was where their luck ran out, with Reece Cole seeing his effort saved before MacDonald rattled the woodwork, allowing Neco Williams to put the Premier League side into the fifth round and break Exeter hearts.

📸 ADRIAN DENNIS - AFP or licensors