Nottingham Forest Held to Draw by Sturm Graz in Europa League

Nottingham Forest Held to Draw by Sturm Graz in Europa League

Nottingham Forest Held to Draw by Sturm Graz in Europa League

Morgan Gibbs-White missed a first-half penalty as an injury-stricken Nottingham Forest struggled to break through Sturm Graz in their Europa League match.

Manager Sean Dyche was compelled to make seven changes to the lineup that drew with Manchester United on Saturday. Despite this, Forest created several opportunities to take the lead.

Captain Gibbs-White was presented with a prime opportunity to score 10 minutes before halftime when Emanuel Aiwu handled the ball in the box. However, the England international's weak penalty was saved by Oliver Christensen, who dived low to his left, and Ryan Yates was unable to capitalize on the rebound.

Earlier in the match, Forest should have taken the lead when James McAtee narrowly missed the bottom corner after a well-executed free-kick.

Forest continued to apply pressure from set-pieces, with Nikola Milenkovic heading a corner back into the box, only for Yates's header to be cleared off the line by Arjan Malic.

In the closing minutes, Nicolas Dominguez unleashed a powerful drive that struck the crossbar after a significant deflection.

Before Forest had their penalty opportunity, the home side believed they had scored when Maurice Malone tapped in after a poor save from John Victor, but the offside flag intervened, saving the goalkeeper from embarrassment.

The draw leaves Nottingham Forest in 18th place with five points, while Sturm Graz sits just one point behind in 23rd.

Analysis: New Signings Miss Opportunity to Impress

With striker Igor Jesus suspended and Chris Wood injured, Arnaud Kalimuendo made his first start for Forest since signing for a reported £26 million from Rennes this summer. His first involvement came 10 minutes into the match when he had a chance to take a touch and shoot but instead opted for a failed lay-off to McAtee.

The 23-year-old managed only seven touches in the first half, despite Forest controlling 55% of possession.

In the second half, Kalimuendo received a defense-splitting pass from Neco Williams, but his inability to take a shot may indicate a lack of recent match fitness.

Dyche also gave another summer signing, McAtee, a chance to shine in Austria, but like Kalimuendo, he failed to make an impact. The former Manchester City midfielder, making his sixth appearance for Forest, should have opened the scoring within the first 10 minutes but missed the target by inches.

While there were flashes of McAtee's potential, his 70% pass accuracy reflected a frustrating evening for the midfielder.

What's Next for These Teams?

Nottingham Forest will return to Premier League action, facing Leeds United at the City Ground on November 9. Meanwhile, Sturm Graz will host league leaders RB Salzburg on the same day.

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