Nottingham Forest had little to shout about on Sunday afternoon, losing to Cardiff City – but Rodrigo Ely loved his visit to the City Ground.
Forest simply had to get a result. One point from five games to start the new season was dismal, and Chris Hughton was feeling the pressure.
The first half was positive; Max Lowe’s run forward saw him pick out Lewis Grabban, who fired Forest in front.
Sadly, the second half was a nightmare for Forest.
Substitute Rubin Colwill scored twice to turn the game on its head. Cardiff ran out 2-1 winners with Forest unable to get themselves back into the game.
New signings Lowe and Djed Spence did make an impact, though one other new face had to watch from the stands.
Defender Rodrigo Ely has been signed on a free transfer. The 27-year-old, formerly of AC Milan, left Alaves at the end of last season and signed for Forest just two days after the transfer window.
Ely won’t find it easy to get into the Forest side with Joe Worrall, Scott McKenna, Tobias Figueiredo and Loic Mbe Soh all in the mix.
On Sunday, Ely took his seat in the stands at the City Ground and tweeted a video before kick off.
Ely loved what he saw, putting a heart-eyes emoji alongside his video. For a man who used to play at the San Siro, he seemed very impressed with the City Ground, and likely can’t wait to make his debut for Forest.