Nottingham Forest were held to a frustrating 0–0 draw by Sturm Graz in the UEFA Europa League, extending their difficult run to just one win in their last 14 matches across all competitions (D5, L8).

Both sides entered the contest searching for consistency after sluggish starts to their European campaigns, though Forest had reason for optimism following their impressive victory over Porto last time out.

Sean Dyche’s men began on the front foot, creating several early openings. James McAtee came inches from giving Forest the lead when he latched onto Nicolás Domínguez’s clever free-kick, only to fire narrowly wide. Soon after, Ryan Yates saw his powerful header cleared off the line by Arjan Malić during a dominant spell from the visitors.

Against the run of play, Sturm Graz thought they had struck first when Maurice Malone bundled home a rebound after Otar Kiteishvili’s effort was saved by Matt Turner — but Forest were spared by the assistant referee’s offside flag.

Moments later, Forest had the chance to make their pressure count after Emanuel Aiwu was penalised for handling Neco Williams’ cross inside the box. However, Morgan Gibbs-White’s penalty was well saved by Oliver Christensen, ensuring the first half ended goalless despite an absorbing tempo.

After the interval, Forest pushed to shake off their penalty disappointment. Yates went close with a speculative strike from distance, while Arnaud Kalimuendo was on the receiving end of a crunching tackle from Niklas Geyrhofer after being played through by Williams.

The second half gradually became a more tactical affair, with both sides cancelling each other out. Graz began to look the more comfortable as the game wore on, and Jon Gorenc Stanković came close to snatching the opener when he failed to properly connect with a teasing Tomi Horvat delivery.

Forest nearly stole the win late on when Domínguez’s deflected effort struck the post, but it wasn’t to be.

Ultimately, Dyche’s side were forced to settle for a point — a respectable outcome given their lengthy injury list, but another missed opportunity in front of goal.

Meanwhile, Sturm Graz boss Jürgen Säumel will take heart from his team’s improved defensive resilience after losing three of their previous four outings. It may not have been a Europa League classic, but the draw could prove valuable for both sides in their push for the knockout stages.