Nottingham Forest extended their unbeaten away record in the Europa League with a hard-fought goalless draw against Sturm Graz at the Merkur Arena.
Sean Dyche maintained his perfect European record since taking charge of the Reds, guiding his side to another valuable point following their 2–0 win over Porto in the previous round.
The visitors had a golden opportunity to seize control early on when Morgan Gibbs-White’s first-half penalty was kept out by Oliver Christensen, moments after Maurice Malone saw his effort ruled out for offside.
Sturm Graz gradually grew into the game, testing Forest goalkeeper John Victor, making only his second start, with a couple of sharp saves before the break.
The second half offered few chances, as both teams struggled to find any attacking rhythm. Nicolás Domínguez came closest to breaking the deadlock in stoppage time, but his thunderous long-range strike rattled the crossbar.
Dyche made seven changes from the side that drew 2–2 with Manchester United at the weekend, with Neco Williams, Nicolò Savona, Gibbs-White, and Nikola Milenković retaining their places.
Forest started brightly, with Williams earning an early free-kick that led to James McAtee dragging his shot narrowly wide. Ryan Yates also saw his header cleared off the line by Arjan Malic in the 17th minute.
The hosts thought they had struck first just before the half-hour mark when Otar Kiteishvili’s shot was parried into Malone’s path, only for the flag to go up for offside.
Forest were handed another chance to take the lead when Williams’ cross struck the arm of Emanuel Aiwu inside the box, but Gibbs-White failed to convert from the spot as Christensen dived low to his left to save.
Sturm Graz responded with a few attacking bursts, Tomi Horvat forcing Victor into a strong save before halftime.
In the second half, Dyche introduced 19-year-old Zach Abbott, who brought fresh energy but couldn’t change the tempo of the game. As time ran out, the manager opted for a defensive switch, replacing Gibbs-White with Murillo to secure the point.
Domínguez nearly delivered a late winner with a fierce drive from distance, but the crossbar denied Forest a memorable away triumph as both sides settled for a share of the spoils.
