Nottingham Forest captain Morgan Gibbs-White said his side played with a “real identity” as new boss Vitor Pereira’s reign began with a 3-0 Europa League romp at Fenerbahce.

Pereira was taking charge of Forest for the first time after he became their fourth manager of a chaotic season and it could not have gone better as they took a decisive lead in the playoff round first leg in Istanbul.

Goals from Murillo, Igor Jesus and Gibbs-White made it a memorable night for Forest as life after Sean Dyche began in free-scoring fashion.

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In perhaps a veiled dig at Dyche, Gibbs-White said on TNT Sports: “I felt like we had a real identity out there today.

“I think his message to us is that we’re going to have a real identity of how we play and how we defend as a team.

“I feel like him and his staff have brought a real positive energy into the group and we’ve all bought into what he wants straight away. And I think that’s the most important thing, buying into each other and understanding each other.

“I think we’ve got a little bit of that already and I think we showed out there abundance today. So, it’s about keeping learning off each other. Keep learning and then taking it game by game.”

The victory means that, barring a disaster in next week’s second leg at the City Ground, Forest will earn a last-16 tie against Real Betis or Midtjylland.

Pereira’s main brief in his new role is to ensure Forest retain their Premier League status and this performance should give confidence going into Sunday’s home game with Liverpool.

“You want to enjoy every moment as a player,” Gibbs-White added. “It can be difficult as footballer to enjoy moments because of how quick the games come up. We can enjoy it and then prepare for Liverpool at the weekend.

“We have been going through a difficult time, confidence is the main thing and tonight will boost confidence. We just have to stay together and be the most complete team.”

Pereira said he was pleased with what he saw from his new side and is confident he can get enough out of them reach Premier League safety.

“The quality of the players [I liked the most]. I asked them to express themselves on the pitch. They did it,” he said.

“I realised before I came that the players have a lot of quality. They need results but they need to enjoy the game.

“If they enjoy the way they are playing they can have a high level. They need just organisation and confidence.

“Of course I am [confident]. We will try match by match to win the next match. It will be very difficult.

“It is not easy to come here and score three goals and not concede a goal. Next game will be a different game and we need to be consistent.”

RABAT, Morocco — A Moroccan court Thursday sentenced 19 soccer fans to up to a year in prison on charges of hooliganism stemming from a chaotic Africa Cup of Nations final between Morocco and Senegal that saw supporters try to storm the field.

After a hearing that lasted more than five hours, the presiding judge ruled that the fans — 18 Senegalese and a French national — were guilty of more than half a dozen charges, including damaging sporting facilities and committing violence during a sporting event.

Eleven people were sentenced to one year in prison and handed a $550 fine. Four were sentenced to six months and given a $218 fine. The remaining four were sentenced to three months and a $130 fine, lawyer Naima El Guellaf told The Associated Press.

One defendant fainted upon hearing the sentences. Others refused to rise from the defendants’ bench when ordered to enter the small door leading to the holding cells. Family members, visibly shaken, insisted their relatives were innocent.

Attorneys said they plan to appeal the decision that they view as severe.

The defendants were arrested last month when outraged supporters tried to storm the pitch to protest a late penalty awarded to host Morocco during the final, which Senegal eventually won 1-0. They were held in custody for more than a month awaiting judgment.

During Thursday’s hearing, attended by Senegalese and French diplomats as well as relatives of several defendants, attorneys argued that the court lacked sufficient grounds to convict their clients.

The public prosecutor sought the maximum penalties against the fans, arguing that they had disrupted the orderly conduct of the match. He added that the damage was estimated at more than $476,719.

Morocco has long grappled with episodes of soccer-related hooliganism, and courts in the North African nation routinely handle cases tied to such incidents. However, this case was unusual as it involved only foreign nationals.

The sentences marked the latest development stemming from a final that prompted senior officials in both countries to urge peace and fraternity amid social media tensions and a surge in what Moroccan rights groups described as “hate speech.”

Last month, CAF, the African soccer body, issued $1 million in fines and bans against Senegal and Morocco over the tumultuous game. Morocco announced it plans to appeal the decision, seeing the sanctions as disproportionate to the incidents.

The game was marred by Senegalese players walking off the pitch protesting a penalty awarded to Morocco in stoppage time. Outraged Senegalese supporters threw chairs onto the field and battled with stewards before police arrived.

The match and its outcome prompted senior officials in both countries to reinforce diplomatic and economic ties they described as “strong and historic,” seeking to prevent the game from straining bilateral relations.