Burkina Faso
Chinese Taipei
Nigeria

Result: Nottingham Forest 0-2 Norwich City: Canaries make it

sportsmole.co.uk, 17 March 2021, 21:20

Norwich set a new club record of nine consecutive wins following a 2-0 triumph at Nottingham Forest.

The Canaries moved 10 points clear at the top of the Championship table following early first-half goals from the prolific Teemu Pukki and ex-Forest midfielder Kieran Dowell.

Victory saw Daniel Farke's side eclipse the efforts of the club's 2018-19 and 2009-10 teams, who both enjoyed eight-match winning streaks in all competitions.

Both of those squads finished their campaigns on top of the Championship and League One respectively and the class of 2020-21 will take some catching as they close in on a swift return to the Premier League.

Farke's men stamped their authority on proceedings at the City Ground from the start, with Dowell drilling a 20-yard effort just wide and Max Aarons calling home goalkeeper Jordan Smith into action from a similar distance.

And it came as no surprise when Pukki struck his 11th goal of Norwich's winning streak to give his side the lead after nine minutes.

He sidestepped a Tyler Blackett challenge 15 yards from goal after receiving Lukas Rupp's pass and fired a low shot into Smith's bottom-right corner for his 22nd goal of the campaign.

The visitors doubled their lead four minutes later when Dowell exchanged passes with Rupp before rifling a 20-yard attempt inside Smith's left-hand upright.

Pukki also had a chance cleared off the line by Lewis Grabban, while Forest's only first-half threat came from Luke Freeman corners, but neither Ryan Yates or Tobias Figueiredo could find the target from free headers.

Undeterred, Norwich saw Pukki race on to a Todd Cantwell pass before finding the sidenetting and the pair then combined to send Kenny McLean through on the home goal, but an alert Smith did well to smother his shot.

Forest twice went close to reducing the deficit early in the second half.

First, nimble footwork by Freeman created space for a 15-yard shot that drifted inches wide, before Grabban was sent clear on goal by James Garner but delayed his shot long enough for Tim Krul to smother.

At the other end, Pukki ghosted past Figueiredo through the left channel and forced Smith into near-post action.

The Finnish forward also pulled a ball back from the byline that Cantwell scuffed tamely wide, while left-back Dimitris Giannoulis went closer with a low 20-yard drive.

Moments later, Scott McKenna's wayward header for the hosts failed to trouble Krul as toothless Forest finished the game having only netted twice in their last six home games.

Top News

18 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk A captivating 2023-24 Premier League season - one uninterrupted by COVID-19 or once-in-a-lifetime winter World Cup breaks - will live long in the memory of football aficionados, for both the right and wrong reasons. 18 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Chelsea attacker Cole Palmer will attempt to break a club scoring record in Sunday's Premier League clash with Bournemouth. 18 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Danish Superliga leaders FC Midtjylland will be bidding to take a huge step towards winning the title when they travel to fourth-placed Nordsjaelland on Monday night. 18 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester United have reportedly received a major boost in their pursuit of signing Inter Milan's Denzel Dumfries after the Serie A side set a 'reasonable asking price' for their star defender. 18 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk The 2023-24 Premier League campaign has been one of the most exciting and memorable yet and that has largely been thanks to the sheer amount of goal-laden matches witnessed across the country. 18 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Two teams in disappointing form will lock horns in the Belgian Pro League on Monday evening, with Genk welcoming Royal Antwerp to Cegeka Arena. 18 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester City's Phil Foden has been named the 2023-24 Premier League Player of the Season. 18 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Liverpool are reportedly set to face competition from Tottenham Hotspur, among other Premier League clubs, in their pursuit to sign Brondby centre forward Yuito Suzuki this summer. 18 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Hellas Verona travel to rock-bottom Salernitana on Monday evening, hoping to secure their Serie A status for another season. 18 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Newcastle United are preparing to make a £15m bid for Arsenal goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale in the upcoming transfer window, according to a report. 18 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Just three days on from the inevitable firing of Massimiliano Allegri, Juventus test their mettle against the man tipped to step into the Italian's shoes, facing Thiago Motta's Champions League-bound Bologna. 18 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk It all comes down to the final matchday in the 2023-24 Premier League season, with the title - and nominally one relegation place - still up for grabs. 18 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk All transfer business is done and dusted for this season, but that doesn't stop clubs from preparing ahead for next season. 18 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Nashville vs. Atlanta (Saturday, 6.45pm) Nashville SC and Atlanta United square off in MLS on Saturday with both teams looking to make moves up the Eastern Conference standings. 18 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Besiktas vs. Hatayspor (Saturday, 5.00pm) Two sides with contrasting ambitions clash when Besiktas host Hatayspor at the Tupras Stadyumu on Saturday in the Turkish Super Lig. 18 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Lecce vs. Atalanta (Saturday, 5.00pm) After suffering cup final heartbreak in midweek, Atalanta BC's frantic season finale continues on Saturday evening, when they visit Lecce at Stadio Via del Mare. 18 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Frankfurt vs. RB Leipzig (Saturday, 2.30pm) Seeking to guarantee a top-six finish in the Bundesliga, Eintracht Frankfurt welcome RB Leipzig to Deutsche Bank Park for their final league fixture of the 2023-24 season on Saturday afternoon. 18 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Celtic vs. St Mirren (Saturday, 12.30pm) Newly-crowned Scottish Premiership champions Celtic will look to end their league campaign on a high when they welcome St Mirren to Parkhead on Saturday afternoon. 18 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Feyenoord will look to end the 2023-24 Eredivisie season on a winning note when they host a struggling SBV Excelsior at De Kuip on Sunday afternoon. 17 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Cadiz will attempt to send their survival fight to the final day of the season when they play host to Las Palmas in Sunday's La Liga contest. 17 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Arsenal goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale has dismissed speculation that he has already agreed a deal to join Newcastle United this summer. 17 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Sparta Rotterdam will play their final match at Sparta-Stadion Het Kasteel for the 2023-24 Eredivisie season this Sunday afternoon when they play host to a stuttering Heerenveen. 17 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk The final match at MAC³PARK Stadion in the 2023-24 Eredivisie season will see PEC Zwolle playing host to Europa League hopefuls FC Twente on Sunday afternoon. 17 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Wellington vs. Victory (Saturday, 7.30am) Wellington Phoenix and Melbourne Victory square off in the second leg of the A-League Finals Series semi-finals on Saturday. 17 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Real Madrid have reportedly dropped their pursuits of Bayern Munich's Alphonso Davies and Lille's Leny Yoro. 17 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Almere City and NEC draw the curtain on their respective 2023-24 Eredivisie seasons with a meeting at the Yanmar Stadion on Sunday afternoon. 17 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has admitted he would like to manage in Spain at some point in his career. 17 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk AZ Alkmaar will be looking to pick up a fifth straight victory when they entertain the challenge of FC Utrecht at the AFAS Stadion on Sunday. 17 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk With the chance to guarantee their La Liga survival ahead of the final day of the season, Celta Vigo will travel to Los Carmenes to meet already-relegated Granada on Sunday. 17 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Concluding a triumphant Ligue 1 campaign, Paris Saint-Germain head to the Stade Saint-Symphorien on Sunday to face a Metz side destined to scrap for survival in the relegation playoffs.